Insane Affection
by Ven'aranar Angel
Summary: He always knew part of him was broken. That something inside of him had snapped and that he wasn't quite right. He feared the darkness and those who tried stopping him. He feared the past and the future and hated the biting, animalistic instincts howling inside him. But most of all, Jeff the Killer feared himself. (Genres also include a dab of horror and some humor.)
1. Stranger In The Alley

_A.N. ~ hey! So, first off I'd like to apologize for the weird catagorization of this story. They don't really have a Creepypasta section, which is actually kind of heartbreaking... _

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN JEFF THE KILLER NOR ANYTHING FROM CREEPYPASTA, I DON'T OWN THE COVER IMAGE (oh, sue me, I know there are others who lie about it, too. I don't own that picture, all rights and credit go to its owner(s)) I ONLY OWN MY ONs (Original Nouns).  
**

* * *

Jakara wasn't too fond of being herself lately. She was awkward around other children and wasn't too good at talking in a nice way, often going about in a way that practically screamed 'I'll try being nicer when you try being smarter'. What really branded her was how often she was alone. Alone in the hallways, in the classroom, at the lunch table and on the playground. Not to mention the strange name her parents had chosen for her.

But then, she and her older sister, and basically anyone who ever met her could also say the girl's attitude was a major contributor. Not only was she hot-blooded, particularly whenever she was pushed by bullies, but she also had an especially strong sense of sarcasm and overall disinterest.

Plus almost no one besides her classmates, gym instructor, and sister knew what she actually looked like. She practically always was in black pants and a grey hoodie, often with the hood up. Their homeroom teacher didn't mind, and actually didn't ban hats and hoods at all, as he saw no reason for why as long as that student kept his or her grades up and didn't cause trouble.

It wasn't shyness or anything of the sort; she didn't really care how she looked or what others thought of her. It really seemed rather idiotic to the fifteen-year-old, how other children would wear masks and pretend to be what they weren't just so everyone would accept them, even if no one actually particularly cared. It was an unspoken stereotype that everyone abided by without thinking.

Jakara hated those kinds of people.

And yet, as she strolled down the sidewalk with her hands shoved in her sweater's pockets, those types of people were the only ones on her mind.

_Grief, Julie was being such a priss today. 'Oh no, I got mud on my shoes today, they were _brand new_'. What did she expect? We've only been having rainstorms for the last two weeks. There's mud everywhere. 'I can't believe this, my make-up is ruined. P.E. is _such_ a drag'. Well, princess, you were whining about classes before gym, so make up your mind. Math or exercise? _She sighed, closing her eyes for a few seconds before opening them again.

Looking up to the overcast sky seeping pale light down to the dingy ground, the girl wondered how and why anybody ever grew up in such a way. It seemed so shallow and empty to her. Not that she could call her own lifestyle anything great. All she did was keep to herself and uncomfortably tolerate any friendly peoples' presences until they got the hint and left her in peace.

The slightest flash of movement drew her attention back to Earth, and her eyes flitted over the dark buildings and into the black alleyways.

_This place is practically begging for something bad to happen. Martial arts practice or no, better get going..._

Hunching her shoulders and pulling her hood down as far as possible, she began jogging, ignoring the bump of her underweight backpack against her slim body.

* * *

_"The mysterious killings are still occurring, and the police have yet to find any evidence pointing towards who the murderer might be. Victims' ages and genders vary and they appear to be random, being killed by what appears to be a sharp object of some sort anywhere from in parks to their own houses.  
It is being strongly suggested that everyone locks their doors and windows at night and also to not stay out too late, as times after the sun sets are when the police have determined most killings occur."_

Jakara only half-mindedly paid any heed to her food, giving the droning news anchor just as much attention. Her hood was still up, making only the lower half of her face visible whilst she blankly worked at the mashed potatoes that were the only surviving food on her plate.

"So, how was school?" Her sister smiled kindly, already scooping up the last scraps of food onto her fork.

"Same old. The usual drama queens and jerks that are always there." She shrugged and her sibling carefully kept a neutral expression, as she'd already learned the futility of trying to argue with Jakara whenever her attitude was involved.

Jacy was the elder by five years, putting her at twenty. She'd inherited their father's appearance the most, with sandy blond hair and dark chocolate-brown eyes, along with a slightly humped nose.

The opposite of her sister, whose nose was thin and her eyes were a dark blue, several shades deeper than their mother's, and framed by her curly dark brown hair.

Their parents had passed away four years earlier, leaving the girls alone and causing them to spend two miserable years in foster care before Jacy had turned eighteen, gotten a job, and taken custody of her younger sister.

But it was too late. By the time they'd gotten out, the elder's smiles always seemed somewhat forced and weak and the younger had crawled into herself, hiding her face most of the time and generally avoiding people. Their personalities were twisted off their original paths and never would be the same.

"Uh, how was work?"

"The usual pigs and cheapskates." Wry smiles passed between them, dropping in moments as their attention fell back to their food.

Soon after, the clatter of dirty dishes filled the room as they began cleaning up. Food was put away, plates and cutlery washed, and the sisters separated.

Jakara went to the basement, closing the door at the top of the stairs behind her and heading down into the darkness. She didn't really hate the dark so much as the feeling that she couldn't see anything and anything could see her, and that if she was attacked, she'd be borderline helpless.

It was completely illogical, she knew. If anyone had come into the house, she or Jacy would have heard the noisy doors opening. They kept their windows locked the majority of the time, so no one would have had a chance to enter unnoticed. And yet she feared utter blackness, and hurried to find the light switch.

Once it flickered on, she looked over the familiar, comforting sight of her space. There was the main carpeted room the stairs led into and a couch sat against one wall. A bathroom was directly beside the stairs, and her bedroom was to the right. The door to the boiler room was on the left, and a closet full of spare towels and blankets was beside it.

Inside her room, a bed stood against the far wall, a closet stretched at the foot of it, and a nightstand stood to the mattress's right. A window hovered above and to the right of the bed, and even though it could open enough for a person to squeeze through and let in wonderful breezes during the summer, it seldom left its sealed resting place partially due to the rain and mainly because it was early spring and everything was cold. Not to mention outside noises.

Sighing, the fifteen-year-old grabbed her laptop up off the nightstand, unplugging it and walking back to the main space before setting the technology down, opening it and going to YouTube after it turned on.

She began typing and searching, finally finding the martial arts video she'd discovered the day before. It was long and full of difficult and complicated moves, so she was determined to master it regardless of how long it took.

_Honestly, how stubborn can I be? If I spend too much time on one video, everything else is going to start leaking out of my ear and I'll have to start all over again,_ she scowled, removing her sweater to reveal a white T-shirt before getting down to work.

* * *

"At least it's finally Friday," Jakara mumbled as she wandered out of her school. She had a slightly heavier backpack, as she was going to be studying for a test and catching up on some homework she'd been putting off.

True, she'd rather not be doing anything remotely related to school on the weekend, but she had no friends, nowhere that she particularly liked hanging out at, nothing much to do at all.

And thus she reflected on the day, as she usually did to help sort out what she felt for who and why just to run a brush through the tangled mat of her emotion's hair and smooth it all out.

The idle question of whether she should be walking around alone when a serial killer was running amok drifted through her mind, and yes she was somewhat concerned, but judging by the news reports, the murderer just finished his victims with a sharp object like a knife. If that was the case, she decided she'd be fine.

Oh, but she forgot how much the universe loved jinxing people and proving them wrong.

About fifteen minutes later, half way back to her house and passing through the old, dusty and abandoned buildings she always did, a scuffle drew the teenager's attention. She was always on alert, but especially so outside of the house in a perfect place for anyone to try anything with her.

Her eyes once again searched the dark alleyways nearby for signs of life and she started upon actually seeing someone. She'd looked just in case, but hadn't really expected it. But something was off with this person.

Jakara couldn't tell their gender because like her, they were wearing a sweater with the hood hiding their face. The stranger's was white...but not pure white. It was smudged. What really made her heart skip was the part where it wasn't dirt, it was red and looked suspiciously like blood.

_His blood, or someone else's?_ Forget common sense or her caution, she was always sympathetic with the injured. Not that she'd admit or acknowledge it...

And so, the fifteen-year-old wandered across the street, stepping lightly and noticing that the stranger's hair was thick, greasy, and black. It hung at different lengths down to, at the farthest, his chest. She couldn't see his eyes because of his bangs and the hood, but it was clear he was, in fact, bleeding.

"Hey, are you alright?" The person shifted slightly and Jakara knelt next to him, reaching forward to touch him when he suddenly swung a knife she'd failed to spot directly at her, causing the girl to rear back.

The stranger lifted his head, revealing wide pale eyes, an almost snow-white face, and a somewhat horrendous, carved-in smile that reminded her of the Joker from Batman. And yet, overall, she couldn't call him ugly.

Of course, good or bad looks weren't exactly on her mind as she bolted to her feet, backing up a couple steps and instinctively sliding into a stance that had become defensive habit.

The boy looked around her age, though it was hard to be sure due to his mutilated face. It was rather impressive, really, how he managed to produce a glare conveying his animalistic hostility while lacking eyebrows...and eyelids?

His grip seemed to constrict around the knife's handle despite his shaking limbs, only warning her more of his high threat level.

"What do you want?" That harsh tone. Too close to the one the bullies used for her liking. Not that he could see anything above the tip of her nose, but a glare simmered out anyway.

"Well, I _was_ checking to see if you were dying or not. But you're obviously fine if you can still bite at the hand trying to feed you." She melted back into a normal stance, one hand on her hip and her head tilting haughtily.

"H-help?" But then the frown on his face intensified. "Don't need your help! And I don't want to see you anymore. Just…" his smile – his natural one – stretched wider. "Go to sleep."

_Go to…what, how stupid does he think I am? Sleep near an armed stranger, a boy no less, in a dark alleyway when nobody even knows where I am?_

"Heh, like that'll happen. So then, how badly are you hurt?" He looked down, mumbling and frowning like a normal, irritated, embarrassed student.

"I'm not hurt…"

"Says the one bleeding. If you wanted to keep your injuries a secret, you should've worn a red sweater." No reply came, and eventually, the fifteen-year-old sighed, sitting down and placing her backpack beside her.

_Something's seriously wrong with my head for sticking around this guy. He just tried killing me with a frickin' kitchen knife, for Pete's sake! _

"Why're you still here?" The bored, demanding, irritated tone hummed out in a way Jakara thought only her vocal cords could accomplish.

"Because I'm a sympathetic idiot. I take it there's no way you'll let me help?" Curiosity and annoyance relieved the scowl momentarily as he studied her, but they were chased away once again in a matter of seconds.

"Don't trust you. Why would you help anyway? I just tried killing you." That almost made her bang her head against the wall as she mentally confirmed the meaning of 'go to sleep'.

"I already said, I'm a sympathetic idiot who can't stand seeing other people hurt. And I'm used to hostility, anyway, so you're not exactly something new." Her hand reached up and she pulled back the hood of her sweater, scratching at where her dark locks had made her neck itchy. "And I'll have you know I basically never show my face."

The frown on the stranger's face switched from hostility to full-on curiosity, but something in his eyes that Jakara had noticed from almost the beginning was still there. She really couldn't name it, no matter how hard she tried. It just seemed...dangerous.

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to. It's not their business if I don't want to show my face, end of story. So, why're you sitting in an alley with a knife and open wounds?" He scowled at her, but began chewing the inside of his cheek and sighed.

"Guy had a gun. Fought me for the knife." Her eyes went wide, and as she stared at him, she realized that he did, in fact, look like he'd been shot in one shoulder. Not to mention the bloody tears in his sweater.

"I'm not sure I even want to ask. So, if you won't let me help, what's your plan? Hospital? Friend's house? Got a place to even go?" The glare returned, answering her question and she sighed. "So, you're just gonna bleed and hope you don't get infected?"

"Just shut up already." He ended up leaning against the wall for support as he stood before taking an unsteady step towards her, promptly collapsing onto his hands and knees with the knife still in hand.

"Yeah, whether you manage to crawl to me or not, making me 'go to sleep' isn't going to be easy when you're that hurt," she muttered, only infuriating him further.

"Shut up already, I'm not that bad." He got up again, tottering and starting to collapse a second time when she stood and caught him, one arm under his left armpit to help him stay up and the other holding his free wrist to keep the knife away.

The girl gently lowered him back to the ground, hopping back to get away from his weapon as quickly as possible.

"'Not that bad', huh? Well, you tried stabbing me even when I was helping you, so at the very least, you're persistent. And a jerk. How much blood have you already lost?" He glared at the ground, muttering something she couldn't quite catch.

_Ugh, I'm an idiot,_ she sighed.


	2. Help

_A.N. ~ hey, so this one is a little shorter than most, but only by two or three hundred words. Sorry about that, but I hope you enjoy, anyways! :)  
_

* * *

Jakara couldn't help but be surprised at how heavy the stranger was, despite his clearly underweight, slim build. He'd, after a very long while, finally given grudging agreement to be helped and the girl was supporting him as they walked (with her hood once again up) and watching his knife closely in case he tried anything violent.

She knew it was later than her usual arrival time – about half an hour to be exact – but thankfully her sister wouldn't be home for a while still.

And thus she pulled a key out of her pocket, unlocked the door, and stepped into her house, kicking off her sneakers and weakly mirrored by the boy before starting to move downstairs. He resisted slightly, getting a weird look from the fifteen-year-old.

"What? You still think I'm going to try something? I'm taking you into my home, leaving you with your knife, and by the way, my sister will have a heart attack if she sees a strange boy here, so no introductions, alright? And don't make too much noise or she'll find you." He glared, muttering something about 'stupid orders'.

The girl just rolled her eyes before getting him into the basement and onto the couch, calling for him to take off his shirt while she got the first-aid kit and inwardly groaning at the idea of actually having a boy shirtless, alone, in her house.

If there was one thing she absolutely didn't do well with, it was interaction with someone from the other gender. Most of the boys at her school either bullied or ignored her, and school was practically the only time she was around people that weren't her older sister.

A light blush touched her cheeks and Jakara pulled her hood as far as it could go, mentally scolding herself and only making her face heat up more. By the time she returned to where the stranger was, she'd almost gotten control of the red, but it just intensified as she noticed the strong, lean muscles covering the injured teenager, eyeing the soft curves hinting at a future six-pack as she opened up the case.

His wide, pale grey-blue eyes watched her, and if she looked, she realized the black circling the orbs weren't from make-up or sleep deprivation. And what was worse, she still couldn't see hints of eyelids.

She was extremely thankful that he couldn't see her staring as she snapped out of it and grabbed a clean cloth, hurrying to the bathroom and running warm water over it before wringing it mostly out and returning.

"Hold still. Sorry if it hurts," she mumbled, gently pressing the fabric against a large cut on the boy's arm. His entire upper body was criss-crossed with cuts and blotched with bruises, but those didn't seem especially deep or serious. No, what truly worried Jakara was the bullet wound in his left shoulder.

It took her a while to just get his arms and torso cleaned off, and once she'd gotten the blood off, she washed out the cloth and returned to where she'd been kneeling for what already seemed like eternity.

"By the way, you never told me your name," she mumbled, twisting the lid off a bottle of hydrogen peroxide.

"Neither did you." The girl sighed at his hard, slightly accusatory tone, deciding that she would just have to assume that he'd never trust her and she'd need to be pre-emptive if she wanted anything to work.

"It's Jakara. Think of a nickname if you don't want to use three syllables. Now what's yours?" He opened his mouth to reply, but clenched his teeth and hissed slightly as the cloth was pressed against a gash, seeping the stinging liquid into it and causing pain to prickle through the area.

"Jeff. To be exact, Jeff the Killer. And I think I'll call you Jack." He smiled, his lips forcing the scars on either side of his mouth to stretch up until he resembled a psychotic clown version of the Cheshire Cat. He was sure the slight jab at her sexuality - what with giving her what was commonly a boy's name - would be at least enough to bother the girl, if somehow calling himself a killer didn't do the trick.

_Killer. He's the murderer in the news? Stay calm...ahg, I'm freaking out...he's injured, only has a knife...I'm okay. Play it cool, Kara._

"'Jeff the Killer', huh? Do you take requests? And Jack is fine." The murderer would have blinked in disappointment if he'd still had eyelids and frowned, doing a surprisingly good job of it too considering said damage to eyes and missing eyebrows.

He'd been sure she'd be put off in some way, and yet this dark-haired girl was still continuing to dab at his wounds without a pause, finally stopping to look at the place where he'd been shot.

"Do you know if the bullet's still in there?" He paused, thinking about it and shrugging his shoulder before hiding a wince.

"I'm pretty sure it's still there. Definitely didn't come out the other side." Another sigh, and Jakara grabbed a pair of tweezers, almost instantly stilling as his knife gently touched her neck. "No."

"Well, what's your plan, genius? Leave it in there? Use a magnet? Want me to fish it out with your knife or my bare fingers?" Jeff once again tilted his head, wondering if she was stupid or just fearless.

"Fine." He let the blade rest with his hand on the cushion below and braced himself for the pain.

"Alright, I'll try to do this quickly. And I apologize in advance for how much this is probably going to hurt." He just stared at her dubiously as she placed her left hand around the wound, the hole in between her thumb and index finger, while her right hand moved in with the tweezers.

After a short eternity spent with him gritting his teeth and letting out small sounds of pain while Jakara began feeling increasingly guilty for taking so long, she finally pulled out a small bit of metal, smirking in triumph as she wiped away the seeping blood before going to wash off the tool, cloth, and throw away the bullet.

Once she came back, she found Jeff toying with the needle of the kit, actually oblivious to her approach, and unaware of the girl sitting quietly for a good long while. When he did notice her, he started, plunging the needle into his finger and cursing as he pulled it out.

"After seeing that, I'm beginning to think that you managed to give yourself most of these cuts," the fifteen-year-old mumbled, taking away the needle before examining his injuries. "Speaking of which, either I make you look like a mummy or use a whack-load of Band-Aids. Your choice."

"I don't need them," he mumbled, scowling and yet again managing to impress her as she noticed the lack of eye lids or brows.

_Frick, how does he do that? _Her stomach growled and realization flashed across the brunette's face.

"Crap, sorry. I gotta go make dinner. If it's not ready by the time Jacy's home, she's more likely to kill me than you are." The words came as quickly as her movements as she put away all the contents of the kit. "I'll bring you something to eat later." And with that, she rushed upstairs, leaving him to stare somewhat blankly at the door she'd slammed shut.

_…her sister is more likely to kill her than I am? Yeah, right… Wait, did she say she'd get me food?_

* * *

The smell was what first alerted Jeff to Jakara's presence and looking up, he saw her silently stepping down the stairs with the door, as usual, closed at the top. In her hands was a plate of food and, despite himself, he could feel his mouth starting to water.

"Hey, I shoulda asked this earlier, but got any allergies?" He shook his head, accepting the plate and eyeing the food swiftly. There was rice with pieces of corn and onion in it, along with very small carrot chunks, chicken with some kind of light, reddish-brown sauce on it, and mashed potatoes.

Without a second thought, the murderer began gobbling down what was there, wishing the fork was larger so he could eat faster. Jakara wondered if she should remind him to slow down, but she figured it would be better if he learned the hard way. Especially since she got the feeling he wouldn't listen even if she told him. Plus, she was inwardly still smarting a little from the 'Jack' nickname he'd obviously given her to be annoying.

After spending most of her time being bullied in school, she was very adept at noticing when someone was trying to upset her, and she really hated people who intentionally bothered her. Not so much because their actions themselves were that bad. Those she could live with. What infuriated the girl was how seemingly pointless it was and how she couldn't even really understand fully why the bullies acted the way it did.

By the time she came out of her thoughts, she was amused to see that a good deal of the food had already been devoured. The girl stood and wandered into her room, wondering whether it would be alright if she practiced martial arts as usual.

And then she remembered that she had homework, not to mention a test next Tuesday. So, she retrieved her backpack from the floor, clicked on the light, and pulled out the paper, dragging her nightstand to near the middle of her bed's side and taking a pencil and eraser from its drawer.

Jeff, after he finished eating, put the plate on the spot next to him and looked around the basement. Doors were here and there and a light a shade softer, more golden, than the main one was glowing from the room Jakara had disappeared into.

Poking his head into each room except hers, he found the bathroom, furnace room, and a closet. After his short exploration ended, he lay on his back, playing with the large knife he'd retrieved from his hoodie's pocket.

However, that soon got boring and he decided to go into the other teenager's room. Like an owl, she was hunched over the nightstand with her legs hanging over the side of her bed and glaring as though the sheets in front of her were the cause of every misery she'd ever experienced.

"What're you doing?" A light smirk touched his lips as he noticed her slightly jump, but the brunette didn't look up while mumbling a reply.

"Homework. If you want, you can kill me any time now." The smirk grew into a grin and he sauntered over, examining the papers to find enough algebra equations to give a physicist a headache.

"You put this off as long as you could, didn't you?" She nodded, closing her eyes and bumping her forehead against the wood in defeat. "Is this everything?"

"In math, yeah. I still need to study for a spelling test, though."

"So use Sunday and Monday for the test and get math done tonight and tomorrow. This doesn't take a rocket scientist."

"Yeah, I already figured out the whole study plan. I just suck at math." She glared up at him with her deep blue eyes before returning them to the papers, slowly scribbling down stuff, pausing to read it over, and promptly erasing the entire thing with a growled 'this is the devil's paperwork'.

With a snicker, the boy sat next to her, ignoring the slight pain signals his cuts gave and the surprised look he received. Examining the problems carefully, he took her pencil and starting to write on the piece of scrap paper she was using.

In a few seconds, he was finished and Jakara looked over the answer, mentally tallying up the chances of it being right and gawking at the killer, who just smiled even wider, somewhat smugly.

"You...how…show me exactly what you did and I'll bring you chocolate." He cackled and began walking her through the process, explaining with some teasing here and there.

* * *

_A.N. ~ well, guess where this is going XD _


	3. A Different Kind Of Strange

"Jakara? Kara, you're gonna be late for school!" Jakara's eyes slowly blinked open, and she frowned crossly at the banging of her sister's fist against the basement door.

"'Kay, 'kay, I'm up!" She yelled, rolling off the couch and cocooning herself in the warm fuzzy blanket she'd taken from the closet. With a sigh, the fifteen-year-old wriggled free and grabbed the small pile of clothes she'd taken from her room the night before, dragging her feet all the way to the bathroom before changing and retrieving her backpack.

"Ngh, what's all the noise for?" She glanced up from where she was straightening out the pack's contents to Jeff, who was leaning against the doorway of her bedroom and rubbing sleep away from one wide, pale grey eye.

"Late for school. If you get hungry, go ahead and take something from the kitchen, just be careful—"

"In case Jacy finds out. Yeah, yeah." He was shirtless, as usual, but she'd gotten used to the sight and had managed to stop the majority of her blushes.

"I'll probably be back before her, and she won't come back 'til at least seven. If a robber comes in, you can do whatever to him, just don't leave a mess." A smirk touched the killer's face yet again at the dark sense of humor the girl hosted. She rushed out, leaving him to his own devices…and leaving him alone with her computer.

* * *

Jakara unlocked the door, stepping into her house and kicking off her shoes as usual. She walked down the hall, but suddenly someone was in front of her, holding a large knife above his head and looking ready to commit bloody murder.

A shrill screech escaped the girl's lips, but her body was already in motion, grabbing the wrist of the hand holding a knife, stepping in and pivoting before tossing him over her shoulder and forcing the other person to let go of his weapon.

In only a couple seconds, however, the two were motionless as they observed each other, realization slowly drawing itself on their faces.

"Dang it, Jeff, I said do whatever to _robbers_, not _me_!" The fifteen-year-old snapped, giving him a hand up anyways before placing the knife in his expectant palm somewhat hesitantly.

"You've already made me deaf and broken my spine, so I'm pretty sure we're even," he mumbled, rubbing a hand over his ear tenderly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know the infamous Jeff the Killer was so fragile. And it's not like I enjoy making that sound. It just slips out when I'm startled." She brushed past him, tossing her backpack down the basement stairs before yanking off her hoodie, dumping it on a chair.

The boy's eyes somehow widened even farther as he examined her. He'd not really seen Jakara as a girl, from the way she acted and joked, but now she looked like one. She wasn't a walking lump of baggy clothing with half a face and hands, she was…woman-shaped.

The student walked to where she and her sister kept the hair ties, putting her dark brown locks into a ponytail before heading into the kitchen to wash off her hands.

"Jacy shouldn't be back for a few more hours. If she shows up, you just go downstairs. She knows that's my 'do not enter without permission' territory." Her deep blue eyes met his for a few moments before moving to the fridge.

"Sister's a real pain. Should go to sleep," he mumbled.

"Touch her and a bullet wound will be the least of your worries."

_Grief, I swear she hears everything I don't want her to. And how the heck did she flip me like that?_ He recalled the little jab at his 'fragility'. Grumbling, he went into the kitchen and watched as she began washing and peeling carrots, examining the knife she was using before deciding it was too small.

He went to the drawer from where she'd gotten it and found all the other knives. But disappointingly enough, the larger ones weren't that strong. Not good enough to kill a person with.

"Oi! No gutting people with the kitchen knives. We don't need human parts floating around in the food." He glanced with amusement at her scowl, putting the blades away and closing the drawer before watching her skillfully chop away at the carrots, idly wondering what she could do to a human body with the knife in her hand.

* * *

Night came and Jakara was once again lying on the couch, eyes open and unable to sleep. She knew she should, what with the test coming up and whatnot (that only made it harder to drift off), but her mind wouldn't stop working.

And once it hit the stray thought of how she couldn't see anything in the darkness, she naturally couldn't help but strain her eyes and try to make out something, listening carefully and holding her breath. Her heart skipped a beat upon noticing that someone else was breathing, but she soon remembered that Jeff was nearby, in her room, and calmed down.

_Idiot, would've heard them come in. Even if they did upstairs, the basement door makes noise whenever it's opened anyway. And coming through my window would be pointless, since Jeff's in there. I'm paranoid…_

But the darkness seemed even blacker somehow, and she even looked over her shoulder a few times, despite having nothing but the wall behind her, and then quickly returning her gaze forward. For some reason, she was scared.

_Stop it, idiot! There's no freakin' reason to be worried. Nobody's here and nothing's wrong._ She actually rapped her knuckles against her forehead out of frustration upon realizing that she was shivering.

Finally, she was mostly focused on how scared she was and why and wondering how to alleviate the sensation. She considered turning on the light, but that would mean traveling all the way across the room to the light switch. Going to her bed crossed her mind, but then something or one might be in there and she'd be cornering herself even more.

But then, at least she'd be in her bed…

Jakara sighed, slowly leaving the couch and her blanket like it was some sort of death sentence to do so before quickly tottering to her room, opening the door and dimly making out through the light slipping past her window's blind a lump in the blankets.

A scream nearly escaped before remembering that it was Jeff, but that only made her stand frozen, completely unsure of what to do. Going back out seemed unbearable, but she didn't want to bother him, so she just sat down with her back to the wall, hugging her knees to her chest and trying to level out her breathing.

But if one thing could ever catch the killer's attention, it was fear. His ears were tuned to the sounds of terror others made, and he woke, blank eyes regaining awareness as he listened to the uneven inhalations coming from nearby.

_Is Jakara dying or something?_ He sat up, drawing her immediate attention as she stared with wide eyes, partially forgetting the fear prickling through her.

"What're you doing?" She just shook her head and rested her chin on her knees, wishing she could fall asleep and forget everything.

_What the heck? I feel weird,_ Jeff frowned. He'd felt weird before he'd started killing, too, but this was a different kind of strange. It was slightly familiar, and letting his mind go blank, he concentrated and realized it matched with the time his brother Liu had broken his leg. Jeff had held and comforted him while they waited for an ambulance to show up.

That was the weird sensation; care. But he almost hit himself. He'd known this girl for only a few days. Not to mention he was him. He made people worry, not the other way around!

But looking again, the murderer's eyes softened for a moment upon seeing Jakara's haunted expression and he slid out of bed, picking her up bridal style before plopping her under the covers.

"Jeff?"

"Well now, I'm never getting any sleep if you keep crying like that."

"I-I'm not crying!" She looked away slightly, biting her lower lip and only amusing him.

"Then be quiet and go to sleep."

_I'm kinda scared of him…WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING?! I'm lying in bed with a half-naked boy I barely know who's most likely a psychotic murderer, and I'm supposed to sleep?!_ She almost got up, then remembered the total blackness of the outside room and fear once again rolled through her. _I'll take my chances with the killer._

* * *

Jakara woke up and a blush exploded on her cheeks as she realized that she was lying snuggled up against Jeff, with her head resting on his right shoulder, trapped between his arm and his body.

She wondered what time it was and noticed the grey light from the window, mentally panicking. She'd become accustomed to estimating the time by looking at daylight, and any moment now, Jacy was probably going to be calling her.

The fifteen-year-old slowly sat up, recalling how scared she'd been and frowning as she tried to remember why.

_There…was absolutely no reason for me to be that worried. I think I had an anxiety attack. Go figure,_ she realized, going to the bathroom to change and preparing, as usual, for school.

* * *

Returning home, Jakara was once again jumped by Jeff, who once again ended up lying on the floor, unarmed, gasping for breath. And simmering at how someone smaller, most likely younger, and almost _definitely_ less experienced in actual combat - a girl, no less - had managed to put him in this state _twice_. What really bugged him was how she could've killed him if she felt like it.

"Da…how do you even do that?" He wheezed, standing up without her help and taking back the offered knife.

"Practice, determination, and practice. Just be glad I didn't scream again." For that, he definitely _was_ thankful.

While the boy blanked out, Jakara tossed off her hoodie and backpack, heading to the kitchen as usual to make dinner. Soon he snapped out of it and joined her, watching as he always did while she prepared food.

"Really, where did you learn that?"

"Online. I study martial arts whenever I have time." Thinking back, she _had_ gone into a sort of fighting stance when he'd tried hurting her in the alley.

"Alright, your new nickname is Jackie, then."

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"I hate any nickname given to me that ends with an 'e' sound."

"So you'd hate being named after Jackie Chan? You're crazier than I am."

"You're only getting that now?" She twisted to grin at him, layering pieces of noodles for lasagna with the same ease with which a poker expert would deal cards.

"Well, I always knew something was wrong with you for letting a guy like me into your house. What makes you even worse is how you slept in the same bed as him. Did you miss the part where I introduced myself as 'Jeff the Killer'?"

"Did you miss the part where I called myself an idiot?" She began grating cheese next.

"You must be for letting me stick around. How'd the test go?"

"Haven't gotten it back yet. Waiting's almost worse than preparing." They continued to chat as the food was made, lapsing into silence once the large pan was in the oven.

"Hey, Jeff?" Jakara mumbled, stretching. "Why haven't you killed me and Jacy?" He tilted his head, slightly curious as to why she'd even ask such a thing. Especially when she knew he was armed. Most people would avoid such topics as much as possible, yet here this girl was, showing her neck and entire torso as her arms reached up, giving him complete and easy access to all her vulnerable points.

_She really is crazier than I am,_ he decided.

"Well, I _am_ a killer, but I'm not a mindless one. It'd be a poor thank you to kill somebody who helped me out." She smiled, somewhat teasingly.

"Ah, so the fearsome killer has a moral code, after all."

"Well, I'd call it more like a set of guidelines, but yeah, I don't have a habit of stabbing people in the back."

"Of course you don't! The front's squishier and bleeds more." His mouth actually dropped open slightly, drawing a laugh from the student.

_I wonder if I should tell him how I happen to secretly be really morbid. He'd probably start drooling if I told him I imagine what a decapitation looks like in gory detail._ The smirk on her face grew as she continued thinking of new ways to surprise her unofficial roommate. It became a full-fledged grin as she wondered if she could actually manage to creep him out.

"Ever murdered someone?" She jerked out of her thoughts, raising an eyebrow at the smiling boy.

"Nope, but I've imagined every moment of a few killings involving a few certain people. Unless we're counting video games. If we are, then I have more kills than you ever will." That actually irritated him somewhat and he frowned. Jakara still couldn't believe how expressive his face was without eyelids and eyebrows

"No, we aren't, and you'll never kill more than me."

"Probably not. I don't actually kill people, as much as I envision it."

"Does it bother you?" She glanced at him to see the frown had gone from being one of irritation to slight confusion and…worry? She'd never expected to see Jeff of all people worried about something.

"What?"

"That I kill people?"

"Well, I'm not exactly fond of the thought. I actually value human life, as sappy as it sounds." She smirked slightly, knowing her belief was far deeper than the joke she'd made it out to be. "But I don't really dislike you personally. If you did something to hurt me or Jacy, though, it'd be a whole 'nother story. Cutting out the rambling, I basically don't mind you, just what you do." His frown deepened.

"So the scars and missing eyelids…they're not ugly?" Jakara blinked, frowning and tilting her head as she wondered where all these questions were coming from.

"Hmm, well, I honestly think you look a little like the Joker from Batman, but they actually don't look that bad on you. I really can't even imagine you different." He frowned, not quite satisfied with her answer.

"Oh…" Seeing his slightly crestfallen expression made her feel slightly like she'd kicked a puppy – he looked like one – and she ruffled his hair playfully, noticing how greasy and rough it was.

"Okay, smiley, why don't you go and take a shower before Jacy comes back? The food'll be almost ready by the time you're done."

* * *

_A.N. ~ d'aw, poor Jeff. His little killer heart just cracked XD But fear not! For there are more chapters in which to mend it! (And his whole 'a girl, no less' addition earlier...yeah, please take no offense! Jeff is Jeff, he'll be him whether we like it or not. Don't worry, I'll have Jakara straighten him out later.)  
_


	4. Thoughts

_A.N. ~ fair warning, there _is_ mild swearing ahead. Not excessive in my opinion, but that's up to you to decide. Just thought you'd like to know, and if you'd prefer I avoided cursing completely, say so in the comments and I'll make do without them...also, blood and violence in this chapter. If you don't want to read it, don't read this story, period. You just shouldn't get involved with Creepypasta if you don't like it.  
_

* * *

Jakara slowly blinked open her eyes, relieved that the mattress and blankets around her were warm…until she remembered that she'd fallen asleep on the couch. She turned her head to come face-to-face with wide, unblinking grey eyes that stared blankly ahead and an unnaturally wide smile.

_Jeff, what the heck? Why'd you move me? …how did you even fall asleep like that?_ She tried imagining sleeping without being able to close her eyes, wondering at the whole thing and just shaking her head slightly. She'd never understand how he could manage never blinking. _The shower must suck for him,_ she realized.

It was dark out, but with a slightly bluish-purple tinge that hinted at the first rays of sunlight. The fifteen-year-old actually didn't mind waking up around this time, since it meant she got to lie in her warm bed and doze.

At least, normally it did. Something about having a murderer lying right next to her, staring and not seeing, unnerved her.

But then she remembered their earlier conversation, back when he'd asked her opinion of him. He'd actually seemed somehow…innocent when he did, like a small child questioning the meaning of an insult he wasn't familiar with that had been directed at him.

Examining Jeff's overall appearance once again (and shoving an image of the Joker out of her mind) Jakara studied the thick, messy hair that sprawled chaotically around the boy's shoulders. His eyes, although abnormally wide and round, were, when she thought about it, actually a nice shade. Especially since pale eyes looked somewhat vivid when outlined with black, as his were. The irises were light grey, but dark enough to make them resemble the rainclouds that hadn't left the city for weeks.

His mouth, although scarred, was proportionate to the rest of his face, though since he was whiter than his hoodie (which she'd washed out and bleached), he seemed somewhat ghostly, appearing almost sick when he slept.

"Like what you see?" She jumped, realizing with an almost florescent blush that he had woken up, obviously long enough to see her scrutinizing stare.

"As a matter of fact…" The blush somehow increased as she realized what had just left her mouth.

_Blast it, autopilot, did I say you could turn on,_ she silently demanded, wishing she could disappear.

To the student's surprise, however, faint pink could be seen brushing the killer's face as well and they simultaneously averted their eyes.

_This weird feeling…don't tell me I'm actually—_Jakara cut herself off, shaking her head in denial. There was no _way_ in this or any other universe that she was actually starting to…_crush_ on the scarred teenager beside her.

_Great, that protective urge is back. I swear, she's worth killing some days. I can't believe I actually give a crap about this little…sarcastic…funny…twerp?_ Jeff almost face-palmed as his train of thought veered off its original course, straight into the territory he'd been trying to deny.

"H-hey, Jeff?" He glanced out of the corner of his eye to where the girl was still blushing and staring at the ceiling.

"Mm?"

"Why'd you move me?" His blush increased and he looked away.

"No reason…" Like heck if he was actually going to admit he'd been having nightmares. Especially to the annoying girl beside him who never failed to return any jabs he made at her…or make a joke he'd not expected…or give him correction or a scolding fearlessly, actually as though she couldn't care less about his status as a murderer.

She actually had the _nerve_ to sleep with him in the same house as though she trusted him not to do anything bad, stretch in ways that exposed her neck and stomach - actually making them larger targets…the list was probably endless in the ways she managed to anger him.

_ She's really stupid, brave, or crazy,_ he, for the umpteenth time since meeting her, thought.

"Like what you see?" The mumbled, somewhat hesitant question brought him back to reality, making him realize that _he'd_ been the one staring that time. His pale eyes darted away from Jakara's dark ones and the pink on his cheeks actually hit red.

"As a matter of fact…" That was just about the final straw and they couldn't even look at each other for almost ten minutes, trying to stop the blood from rushing to their cheeks and get over the embarrassment. Not to mention the conflicting emotions.

_Well, that confirmed it, what with the part where I look like a tomato and the happy buzz in my chest when he said he…crap, I'm freakin' crushing on a killer. My first crush in…forever, and it's on Jeff the flippin' Killer. Something really is wrong in my head._

_…great, I can't even find any motivation to lie to myself 'cause I wouldn't believe me anyway. I actually don't want to ever hurt this little bra…joker. I'm getting protective, and it's for someone I've known for…five days. Fan-fricking-tastic._

Jakara leaving the bed drew his attention and Jeff watched as she opened her closet, grabbing a pair of loose, dark brown pants, a thin blue T-shirt with a V-neck, and snatching her trademark grey hoodie off its hanger before exiting the room.

_Dang, that girl's—_he actually slapped himself before the thought could finish.

"You're a murderer, idiot. You don't do 'nice'. Or 'friendly', or anything! You kill, feel happy, and have a nice nap." He got up, rubbing his fingers over the rough, leathery skin of his face and carefully fingering away sleep.

In a little while, Jakara was at the couch, sifting through her backpack as usual before nodding her satisfaction and checking the watch she'd donned in the bathroom.

"Six fifty-eight. Oh, joys."

_Guess that's not so bad. At least I won't be late...  
_

"I'm getting breakfast. Probably won't be back down, so I'll see you after school. You know the drill." He nodded, waving slightly and having the gesture returned before the girl shuffled up the stairs, leaving him alone once again.

* * *

Jakara felt the strong hand on her arm and twisted to see a stone about to hit her head. She raised her free arm to block it, but a fist drove into her stomach and she doubled over, giving the mysterious attacker a chance to successfully land a blow with the rock.

The teenager fell into a roll, jumping back to avoid a knife and finally seeing the face of her opponent. He was a man probably around his mid-forties with dark brown hair like hers, but with black eyes.

Her vision blurred slightly and dizziness caused her to stagger. The rock had narrowly missed her temple, and the headache pounding through her skull was worse than anything she'd experienced before.

A hand wrapped around her neck and she was slammed against a stone wall, lifted up off the ground. Her eyes made out the flash of a knife heading towards her chest and she shoved her left arm in the way, losing a screech as the blade plunged into her skin.

But the pain wasn't her enemy. It woke her up, brought reason back to her panicking mind and helped her realize that she was being held up, and her feet were conveniently level with a certain place no men wanted to have hit.

And so she kicked as hard as she could, being dropped and receiving the satisfaction of a pained howl. "J-jerk, serves you right," she wheezed, coughing a few times before staggering to her feet.

The man grabbed one of her ankles, pulling her back down and slashing at her throat. She jerked back, unable to block and not escaping completely. The fifteen-year-old gasped as the blade ran through her skin, kicking his face before wriggling away to stand and run. Looking back, one hand cupping the seeping gash on her neck, she saw him slowly getting up.

"Dead, you little rat! You and everyone you love! I swear!" Chills tingled down her spine. His voice was…scary. Not in a completely threatening, thundering way. What frightened her was how it became shrill and broke. He sounded insane.

* * *

Jeff heard the door slam and smirked. He knew it was Jakara, but still, he hid around the corner of the hallway, preparing to jump out and determined to not end up on his back again.

But something was wrong with these footsteps. They were unsteady, and the brush of fabric against the wall scratched in his ear. He stepped out and his eyes went as wide as humanly possible. The brunette was pressing her right hand against her neck, dripping blood anyway, and a red stain was blooming on the sleeve of her left forearm.

"What happened?" He noticed yet another blotch of red, this one on the right side of her head.

The student only looked up blearily at him before collapsing, setting the killer into motion as he quickly turned her upright before running to retrieve the first-aid kit from where she'd left it.

* * *

Jakara slowly opened her eyes, but let them slide back shut. She was on something soft and warm, and a blanket was on top of her. She shifted slightly and realized how heavy with sleep her limbs were. She truly didn't want to even move. Just doze off.

"Jakara, you better not close your eyes again or I'm burning your eyelids off, too." That woke her up more and she realized she was on the living room couch. Jeff was sitting on the floor beside her, looking annoyed and…concerned?

"Wh—" She weakly coughed. Her throat was sore and hurt, both inside and out.

"Yeah, princess, you passed out from blood loss. By the way, this makes us even. What happened?" She tried talking again, but it just hurt too much and she slowly dragged her right hand out from under the blanket, making as though she was writing with a pencil.

Sighing, the boy left the room, returning in a couple minutes with a sheet of scrap paper and a pen.

_'I was attacked. He tried killing me.'_ The annoyance on Jeff's face darkened until he looked nearly murderous.

"You got away, then?" She nodded. "Left a blood trail?"

_'Probably. I don't know.'_ Then fear stretched across her face and she began writing quickly. _'He said he'd kill anyone I loved. Time?'_

"About six forty."

_'__Jacy__.'_ She underlined it and looked worriedly at him.

"Ah, I don't know. Dinner's not ready, but you can just say you're sick." He touched the bandages he'd wrapped around her head. "As for these, you can just say you slipped and hit your head. It's wet enough to make that believable."

_'No. I mean what if he goes after Jacy?'_ The boy frowned.

"Can't your sister take care of herself? You're bad enough, what about an older version of you?"

_'She doesn't study martial arts. She's tough, but this guy almost killed __me__.'_ Her eyes practically begged him and Jeff sighed.

"Fine. Where's your sister and what does she look like?" The brunette pointed to a picture of her and her sibling, and while the killer examined it, she wrote down the address of where the older girl worked. "Alright, I'm closing the blinds and locking the windows. Give me the key to the door. I'll slip into your bedroom through the window later, once you unlock it."

Jakara nodded, handing him the small bronze key and watching as he double-checked the knife in his pocket, locked the window, and went into the kitchen, reappearing a few seconds later and handing her one of the larger knives.

"You keep this under the blankets, and you use it on anyone who tries anything, got it?" She nodded and he briskly walked off to check other windows.

* * *

Jakara heard the door opening and closed her eyes, regulating her breathing and even allowing some drool to slip from the corner of her mouth, listening as footsteps she knew weren't her sister's approached.

As soon as they stopped, she swiftly drew the knife out from under the blanket, propping herself up on one arm and preparing to attack before stopping. Jeff was standing with a smirk in front of her. But she noticed that, unlike how he usually stood when stationary with his feet on almost the same line, one was back somewhat, as though he'd been preparing to retreat.

Then dizziness flooded her and she plopped back into her resting position, careful not to lie on top of the weapon and pulling the blankets back over her shoulder. She looked hopefully at the killer and his amusement instantly vanished.

"Sorry. He beat me there." His pale eyes moved away and Jakara stared, finally chuckling nervously, in a higher pitch than usual.

"Hey, that's not funny, Jeff. Where is she?" Her rasping voice escaped through a smile, which disappeared as he shook his head with a sigh. "You mean…"

"She's dead." The world seemed to stop and spin at the same time, and a whirlwind of thoughts tore through her mind.

_Jacy's dead? No, no she's…but that means foster care—why the heck am I thinking about that?! My sister's dead and I'm already worrying about myself? But…why not? She's gone, so is it selfish to worry for myself? I feel bad about it. No, why am I not crying? I cried when mom and dad were killed in that fire, so why can't I now?_ So many other questions and bits of memories from time she'd spent with her sister crashed through the fifteen-year-old's thoughts.

Jeff sighed upon seeing her eyes wide and staring off blankly. Knowing she'd be unresponsive for a while, he left to find something to make their dinner with.

* * *

_A.N. ~ yeeaahhh, I should probably mention that I have a habit of not sparing my OCs, so be careful who you love._


	5. Nicknames

"So what'll happen?" It had been a few hours since Jeff had broken the news, and after finally coaxing Jakara into eating, he managed to get her to talk.

"I'll probably be put back into foster care…but then, I'll just end up running off, anyway. It was bad enough the first time…" He tilted his head, curious, but didn't push.

"So then, what after that?"

"I don't know. I'll probably try to find a job or something...move as far south as possible so if I don't find a place to stay I won't have to worry about freezing." She looked down at her hands, fingers laced together loosely.

"Oh, really? If you disappear they might blame you for your sister's death."

"For absolutely no reason except that I'm not here? Maybe. People are stupid that way. But if I stay, the chances of successfully escaping whatever foster home they throw me in will drop."

"Y-you know, I already live on the streets, so…" He looked down and away, blushing slightly and unable to continue as his brain madly scrabbled for a way to proceed.

But he didn't need to. She was blushing and also looking away, having already pieced together what he meant.

"O-okay." He glanced somewhat hopefully out of the corner of his eye before smiling.

"Really?" He almost face-palmed, cursing his blush and questioning his choice.

_I'm actually…oh, great. Fine. Fine! I'll just face it now and get over the fact that I actually don't mind J…say it! I-I like this girl. There! I said it! Now somebody make me go to sleep._

"Yeah, o-of course…" Their faces, both beet red, turned to observe the other's before quickly turning once again.

* * *

Jakara had stuffed what she thought necessary from the first-aid kit into her backpack, along with her computer and a few containers of food.

Jeff was carrying another backpack, also with whatever from the kitchen they could bring that wouldn't spoil too quickly.

Pausing, the girl disappeared into her sister's room, returning wearing a necklace with a simple, large wooden cross with engravings on it. She nodded and they began leaving, though she moved rather unevenly and slowly, since she was still weak and dizzy from the blood loss.

Bandages were around her left arm and head, as well as her neck, though a new black hoodie hid them. She'd also packed most of her clothes into a duffel bag.

Light raindrops poked their shoulders as the teenagers began travelling back towards the old, abandoned buildings where they'd first met.

"Should we really be going this way? It's probably where the guy who…" The girl choked on her words, looking down as she bit her lip. She just couldn't say it yet.

"With any luck, he'll be dumb enough to attack us." Looking up, she realized Jeff had an expression yet again as though somebody had just royally pissed him off.

_Why does he look like that? Because he's angry my sister…or because someone's hunting on his territory, maybe?_ She shrugged and just continued walking, pushing herself to keep up with the other teenager.

* * *

_"Everyone you love…"_ Jakara woke from the bloody dream with a start, shivering at the foreboding words that haunted her mind whether she was awake or not.

Sitting up, the girl sighed, looking to where Jeff was sprawled on the floor, one arm tossed over his unblinking eyes and his free hand in the pocket of his hoodie, most likely holding his knife. Her fingers habitually wandered up to the bandages wrapped around her head, fingering the rough fabric as her mind wandered.

_So, can he really even use the excuse 'because you saved me' for why I'm still not dead? Sure, I helped him, but he saved my life too, and I owe him one for…sort of?...taking me in on the streets. He'd be able to kill me now without having to worry about that._

A scuffle caught her attention, and she almost turned to see what it was, but instead sighed and lay down again, listening to the soft, controlled breathing of a third person and the light footsteps approaching from behind.

_Oh, heck no. I am _not_ getting jumped twice in twenty-four hours._ As soon as the newcomer got close enough, she shot to her feet and tackled them without even getting a good look at their face, crashing onto the floor and groaning slightly at the pain in her head and arm.

"The he—"

"Jeff, wake up!" The person below her, a male, shoved the fifteen-year-old off and she tumbled back, about to get up before freezing as something sharp was once again pressed against her neck.

_Can I push their arm away before they kill me? If I turn my head so the bandage will take the damage…_ Jakara twisted her head sharply, grabbing their wrist and relieved to find that the fabric was the only thing that was cut.

Her knee drew to her chest before she slammed her foot into his body, knocking her attacker away and springing up. Her eyes widened upon seeing the one before her. Black and white, a strange, cone-like, swirled nose and a creepy grin full of teeth filed to points. Raven-like feathers adorned this nightmare's shoulders, mixing with his similarly-shaded hair.

"Hi, pretty. How cute, you're terrified! Wanna play?" A shiver wracked her body, and she knew she couldn't move.

_Run. Run before he kills you,_ her brain ordered, but her body wouldn't obey. Cackling, the demon-clown charged and raised his claw-like nails for a blow.

An animalistic, frustrated howl ripped from the girl's throat and she dug her own nails into the cut on her left arm, jolting her back into full awareness and control with the pain before leaping to the side, narrowly escaping the stranger's claws.

He cackled, clapping and straightening. He was inhumanly tall and skinny as well, and his skin was ashen, grey as the skies above.

"Wonderful! Splendidly wonderful! Hehe, you've got spunk! How absolutely joyous!"

_Crap, I'm unarmed. Shoulda brought some knives from the kitchen! Wait, don't I already have an experienced killer with his own knife on my side?_

"Hey Jeff, any time you wanna be useful!"

"Well, you seem to have things under control here. I kinda wanna see how this turns out," he chuckled, bringing up his hands to cushion his head as he leaned against a wall.

"Great. Then at least give me your knife, it's not like I'm gonna win by punching him." She dodged another swipe, jumping back and twisting, sidestepping other times as the black-and-white man continued his onslaught.

"Oh? I thought you were the mighty martial arts expert, Jackie."

"Don't call me that, _Joker!_"

"Of the people in this room, who resembles a twisted clown the most right now?" She dive-rolled sideways, landing in a crouch beside him and tensing as the stranger began cackling maniacally, clutching his stomach while his other hand covered his eyes.

"Oh-hoh, y-you've got yourself a real sharp one there, Jeffy! Pffha! She's not even scared of you!"

"I know, it's really pissing me off."

"To answer your question, Jeffy the oh-so-useful _Killer_: white face, carved-in smile, black around the eyes…you still look more like the Joker than sharky over there. And just give me your frickin' knife already!" She jammed her hand into his pocket and yanked the weapon out before he could protest, using a reverse hold and preparing to move as the ghoulish aggravator returned his attention back to them.

"Careful with that thing, sweetheart. You might get yourself hurt," he warned, slowly walking forward as his grin widened.

"Heh, so what do you want on your gravestone? 'Here lies clowny, the fool who attacked an armed female version of Jackie Chan. Not so threatening, now that he's all corpsified and gross.'"

"Oh, so now you'll admit it?" Jeff scowled and only got angrier as she smirked.

"I never said I'm not like Jackie Chan, I just never agreed to being nicknamed 'Jackie'."

"There are enough Jacks around here already, Jeffy. Why do you need another one?" The stranger pouted before diving towards Jakara, one hand stabbing towards her stomach and the other falling towards her head.

She slashed at the lower one while knocking away the higher with the back of her forearm, swinging at his face and narrowly missing, causing him to back up.

"Because her real name has too many syllables and her other nickname is too girly."

"Oi! Not that bad, and if you want to joke about nicknames, the other clown just taught me a perfect one for you, _Jeffy_." The killer couldn't help but wonder why that jab didn't make him go homicidal, as it usually did.

_Great, she's able to get under my skin and live. Maybe because I'd be the one in pain if I tried punishing her?_

A howl from the intruder snapped him back to reality and he realized Jakara had managed to plunge the knife into his right shoulder. She promptly swept his feet out from under him and straddled the man, pinning his wrists with her knees and pressing the knife to his neck.

"Your arms so much as twitch, you get a paint job with your own blood, am I clear?" Her eyes were narrowed, but unfortunately for the girl, glaring had never been her strong suit, so the stranger only cackled.

"Magnificent! Oi, Jeffy! How long've you been training this one?"

"Jackie, slit his throat if he calls me that again."

"I'll slit _your_ throat if you call me that again. And for the record, I'm self-taught. And I've never used a knife for anything besides cooking, so I beat you with a weapon I've never fought with before. Now that the humiliation has been established, what's your name?" The grin melted into a pout and he frowned, looking somewhat comical.

"Aw, you don't have to be mean! I was just saying hello. And I'm Laughing Jack. But you can call me Jack, Jackie." The blade was pressed slightly harder against his neck, drawing a few drops of blood.

"Don't call me that! If you have to use a nickname, you use 'Kara', got it?"

"What happened to 'Jack'?" Jeff called, still in his reclined position.

"If you want to make this confusing, go ahead. Just saying…" Jack tried pulling his left arm free and it was given a swift jab from the knife, plunging the blade almost a centimeter in and forcing him to stay still. "And since you two obviously know each other, Jeff gets to decide whether you walk away from this or not."

_Wait, what…what did I just say? That's like me saying I'll be the one to kill him if—no, no! I'm not killing anybody, no way, no how. He can take care of his own little friends if he wants, but I'm not gonna be doing it._ She blinked a couple times, frowning before forgetting momentarily as her frien—aquantance?—replied.

"Kill him for all I care, but you have to clean up the mess."

"I think I've had enough of blood for now. But remember that I won't forget how to fight the moment I let you go," the fifteen-year-old turned her attention back to Jack, only getting a deranged giggle and nod in reply before standing up.

"Can I have my knife back now?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because if he attacks me again, you won't use it. I'll give it back after he leaves or I decide he's not gonna try killing us."

"Paranoid."

"Reasonably cautious."

"Are you two dating?"

"Jack!" The two infuriated voices got him laughing all over again, and the clown-like killer's cackling intensified as he realized the pair were blushing, though it was hard to tell with such scant moonlight. "Oh-hoh, Jef-fy! And you got a good one there, too!"

"Slow and painful, I swear," Jakara muttered darkly, taking an instinctive step back as the monochrome creature stepped forward.

"Aw, and she's just perfect for you!"

"…Jakara, give me the knife."

"Right."

* * *

Jakara clicked through the internet quickly, searching for news reports on recent criminal activity. She was going too fast to really read, only looking at what she needed to – mainly pictures or descriptions of the crimes – before moving on.

A hand landed on her shoulder and she tensed slightly, waiting to see if a weapon would be involved or not before deciding whether it was worth her time to take the knives Jeff had given her out of her hoodie pocket.

"Mm, looking for something, sweetcakes?" Her teeth clenched as she realized it was Laughing Jack. The clown had stopped by randomly in the past couple months and never failed to call her some nickname she'd rather never hear.

His hand began sliding down, onto her side and out of the comfort-zone. The fifteen-year-old stood sharply, her right hand going to the left side of her pocket and left hand doing the opposite, gripping the handles of her knives before drawing them as she spun around.

The right blade sliced his cheek open while the left got his quickly retreating hand and the clown staggered back, looking somewhat shocked as she glared, an embarrassed blush forming on her cheeks.

"One, none of your business. Two, I'm not sweet, and if you use that nickname again I'll choke you with your own feathers. And three, touch me like that again and I'll force-feed you laxatives before hanging you upside-down naked in public."

A whistle drew their attention to where Jeff stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, leaning against the frame and grinning even wider.

"Pay up, Jackie. Told ya so." The cone-nosed killer sighed before tossing a crumpled twenty dollar bill to his friend.

"What'd you two bet on this time?" Jakara muttered, flicking blood off her knives.

"Whether you'd end up hitting and threatening him or not. I won. Apparently his 'natural charm' wasn't enough to win over your kindness."

"I give no kindness to those who nickname me and violate my space bubble. No matter how much charm (or lack thereof) they have."

"Obviously. Um, d-do you even have any laxatives?"

"No, but like heck if it'd be hard to get them." She could imagine the sweat-drop he was having and smirked, flipping her knives expertly before putting them back in her pocket and sitting back down, returning to her previous task.

"So, uh, what were you doing?" Jack slowly approached, remaining four feet away from the chair and tense in case he needed to flee.

"Oh, she's been on a manhunt for months now." Jeff answering for her got him a sour look from the girl, who just rolled her eyes, nodded, and went back to ignoring them.

"Oh, really? Who's the unlucky guy?"

"Some murderer she's got a score to settle with."

"I'll still use you as bait, Joker."

"No, you won't."

"Chicken. They guy's probably an amateur compared to you and you're still scared of him?" Jack looked between the two, choking on a snicker before Jakara could hear.

"No, I'm just scared of what we'd be doing to lure him out with no proof he's even watching."

"Hey, do you think I'd be comfortable with it either? You're the first guy my age I've had a conversation with that lasted more than two minutes in a semi-civilized manner." She blushed and stiffened upon realizing what she'd just said and tried to pretend she'd said nothing as the boys exchanged bewildered looks, mouths open slightly.

'Single?' Jack mouthed.

'Never dated?' Jeff lipped back, frowning as he looked at the girl again.

"So, you mean you've never—"

"I still have the knives." That shut him up and he looked at Jack yet again.

"So what were the other conversations like?" The clown asked.

"Like talking to a brainless howler monkey. Or just a complete jerk. Take your pick."

"So, not many nice boys where you're from?"

"Ah, maybe. But I'm sure you've noticed that I don't do well with other people, so that probably spooked off the nice ones even if they did exist." She shrugged nonchalantly and stiffened as Jack hugged her from behind.

"Aww, don't worry! I'll be a nice guy!"

"Y-you…you…WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SPACE BUBBLE!"

"JEEEFF! HELP!"

* * *

_A.N. ~ Creepypastas, meet your match XD. This was _very_ fun to write. I'll leave poor L.J.'s terrible fate up to your creative minds. Though I will mention that there is no problem with being single :) Ignore Jeff and L.J!  
_


	6. Horribly According To Plan

"I can't believe you actually got me to do this…" Jeff's grumble met only half-attentive ears. Jakara, clinging to his arm as though she were some love-struck girl, was too busy listening for signs of a pursuer to pay attention. "Hello? Earth to Jackie?"

"S-sorry. I-I didn't…sorry." Then she seemed to realize her closeness and blushed, starting to loosen her grasp when he pulled his arm free and looped it around her shoulder so she had to press against him more.

"If we're doing it, we're doing it right the first time, got it?" She nodded. "Good. Now, smile." Deciding to let go of the little voice in her head screaming 'similarly-aged-male alert', she snuggled into his warm white hoodie, smiling at how she was going to threaten Jack if he noticed and teased them.

He'd once challenged her, saying she wouldn't have the guts or abilities to carry out one of her threats. That ended with the poor clown hogtied in nothing but his underwear, hanging from the ceiling like a piñata as she whipped him with a drenched-in-toilet-water sock.

With that image in mind, she was able to give a genuine grin, even snickering slightly.

"What?" Even with his hood up to hide his face, she could see the killer's expression of confusion and annoyance.

"I thought you were the one saying 'smile'. And I was just remembering how to hogtie brainless clowns."

"Ah, yes. The merciless sock flogging. Makes me glad I'm a fast runner." She giggled, even happier upon seeing that the edges of his lips were upturned slightly.

"So, wanna get ice cream for your last me—I mean, as a victory treat?" Her grin widened to rival his own as he looked at her irritably.

"Sure. If we don't do some lovey-dovey dating stuff, he won't buy it, anyway. Got any money on you?"

"Yeah. And no killing anyone. We can't scare him off, after all." Their low voices hummed in the small range of hearing they'd established, surely incoherent to anyone trying to eavesdrop.

"What do you take me for, an idiot?"

"Weell..."

"Oh, you come here, then." He grabbed the girl, tossing her around his shoulders like a scarf before breaking into a sprint, drawing a yelp before she started laughing.

"J-Jeff! Your shoulder's gonna break my ribcage!" And yet, she was still cackling after another two minutes before he slowed down and let the girl back on her feet.

"And your body's gonna break my back. How much did you say you weighed?" The fifteen-year-old scoffed and shoved the killer's shoulder.

"For your information, _princess_, I was one-oh-five last I checked. Probably just one hundred now." He smirked upon finding a pressure point, mentally noting that he could always use it in a future argument as a jab or payback. "Anyway, I'm feeling like chocolate. You?"

"Nn, I'll see what they have. Depending on my mood, I'll visit them tonight."

"Murdering people for not having the flavor of ice cream you wanted is not justifiable by any means."

"Honey, I'm Jeff the Killer. Emphasize 'killer'. I don't need justification, I just do it 'cause I can." She gave him a sour look, shoving her hands in her pocket crossly before biting back a curse, pulling her right hand out to reveal blood dripping from it. "And the difference between us is that I remember where I keep all my sharp and pointy objects."

"Sure you do." Jakara pulled the handle of one of the blades slightly into view, being sure only the other teenager could see it. She grinned as his mouth worked open and closed a couple times before he swiftly checked his own pocket for the weapon. "And the difference between us is that I can steal you blind and you'd never even know I was there."

"Sure you could." He held up something and her smile dropped upon realizing it was her money. "And the difference between us is that I steal useful stuff."

"Oh, your knife isn't useful? Guess I'll just keep it, then." He glared, receiving yet another laugh before Jakara broke into a sprint, being chased almost instantly as he shouted a few choice words, only getting lighthearted teasing in return.

* * *

One short race, terrified ice cream vendor, and walk through the park later found Jakara and Jeff sitting together on a bench, too busy desperately licking their massive cones to save them from a liquid end (or at least a liquid end that didn't involve digestion) to talk.

It took about six or seven minutes before they finally relaxed, leaning back and looking ruefully at the ice cream.

"We're going to regret this so much later, but I can't even care right now," the girl mumbled, taking a bite out of her food.

"Regret? Is it possible to regret ice cream? …Well, probably." Jeff grinned even wider than usual.

Talking was still to a minimum as they ate, only resuming slightly once the treats were no longer in existence.

"So, uh…yeah, now what?" Jakara scratched the back of her neck, still a bit awkward around the raven-haired teen despite having lived with him for months already. She truly did not mix well with boys.

"Mm, dunno. Twenty Questions?"

"Like heck if I even know how to play that."

"…seriously?"

"I've never been taught or cared enough to look it up, okay?" Her heated response made him wonder how safe it really was to tease the brunette and he sighed.

"Well, basically we take turns asking questions. The only rule is that we can't repeat our own or the other's question. I think. It's been a while. And there isn't really a limit to how many we have to ask, I guess. Depends on how traditional you are."

"Oh, okay…so then, who asks first?"

"I think you just did. So when's your next time of th—"

"I still have your knife, you know."

"R-right. Sorry. I just wanted to know so I could live to be seventeen. Speaking of age, how old are you, again?"

"Fifteen. Still have a few months before I hit sixteen. Um…ever r-regretted one of your kills?" She was mainly hesitant to bring up the topic in case it was a sensitive one, but he just laughed once, grinning.

"Ah, every now and then I feel a little bad about it or sorry for them, but nothing's really bothered me all that much. Ever sent someone to the hospital?"

"Nope. Why knives?"

"Guns are too fast, axes and other crap are too large or uncomfortable to use, but knives you can hide in your pocket, tape them anywhere you like, and they're easy and neat. Plus they just look cool."

"Yes, your kitchen knives are truly a sight to behold."

"I'll show you my other knives later. The ones I keep in hidden stashes around the city. Anyway, why martial arts?"

"Because they're practical, great for when you're in a fight, a good workout, and they just look cool."

"No argument there." Jakara shivered slightly, realizing that the sky was still overcast and gloomy. Jeff, also a little chilled, awkwardly reached over, dragging her next to him so they were cuddled up, sharing body heat. Blushes lit their faces, but sexual tension was soon forgotten as the questions continued.

"Favorite food?" The killer raised an eyebrow, slightly unimpressed with the lack of ingenuity. "Look, I'm still thinking of something else, okay?"

"Nn, whatever. And it's cheeseburgers. Favorite music?"

"My brain just broke. Um…I have a lot…rock, maybe? I dunno, 'Three Days' Grace', 'Skillet', 'Good Charlotte', stuff like that. Mm…oh, heck, _you_ tell me when I'm out of your comfort zone. Ever have a victim escape?"

"As annoying as it is, yes, once in a blue moon it happens. They're usually Jackie Chans. Or fast runners that have some level of intelligence. Have you really never had a boyfriend?" The blush was back and the girl looked away, pouting slightly as she mumbled an answer.

"No, never. Have you ever let a victim go or decided not to kill someone?"

"Mm, again, it's really rare for that to happen, but sometimes, when I'm tired or don't think they'll be much fun. So honestly, how many boys were jerks and how many did you just intimidate or avoid?"

"Meh, ninety-five percent in my class were bullies, the others just didn't go near me. I don't know why. Probably not to get teased. Or just weren't interested. Have you ever dated someone?"

"Do I look like I've dated someone?" The skin where his right eyebrow would have been rose.

"People are crazy. You're a prime example, so you tell me."

"Nope, no girlfriend, no dates, nada. Which grade were you in?"

"Ten. Greatest fear?"

"None. I'm fearless!" She scowled, giving one of the most priceless 'are you serious?' looks the killer had ever seen. "Okay, okay, but we're making an exception to the 'no repeat' rule and you're telling me yours, got it?"

"Okay. So what is it? The suspense is killing me!"

"Good. Maybe you'll die before I have to answer."

"Je-ef!" He frowned, not having seen the girl as the whining type, and judging by the face-palm and muttered 'I did _not_ just do that', she didn't, either.

"Well then, guess there's nothing for it…I'm-uh…scared of…getting my sanity back." He covered his eyes with one hand, quickly muttering the last four words as though they actually hurt.

"Huh?"

"S-so what? I mean, what's yours?"

_I'll harass him into telling me about it later. Actually, this is freakin' Twenty Questions! I can ask him as soon as I answer._

"Going to Hell, plain and simple."

"Wh-what kind of answer is that?!" He sat straighter, glaring as though she'd just ripped him off.

"The kind a Christian would give, genius. So what kind of answer was yours?" She returned the expression, eventually making him sigh and back down.

"The kind a psychotic, insane killer would give, genius. If my sanity comes all the way back, how bad do you think my mental state would be?"

"Well, when you put it that way, you'd probably be traumatized or something…maybe? I don't know… I lost track of whose turn it is." He stood, dragging her up on his way.

"Ah, it's getting dark, anyway. We better call it a night."

"Right, let's get going."

* * *

_Well, that went horribly according to plan. Now if only I wasn't lying here in pain… _Jakara blinked her eyes slightly open as she was dragged to her feet by the collar of her shirt, being shoved against a wall and weakly coughing as the man's knuckles rubbed uncomfortably into her neck.

She tried kicking him, but he jammed his leg against her's so she couldn't move it. Her arms shook as they rose, and practically hanged off the attacker's, unable to complete or even attempt their original mission of pushing him away.

"J-Jeff," the fifteen-year-old choked out, looking to where he lay on the ground, bleeding and unresponsive.

_The rock must've hit his head hard..._

"Don't worry, girlie, you'll get a front-row seat as I take care of him. Everyone you love, remember?" The brunette managed a glare, biting her cheek in hopes of bringing herself out of the stupor. Unfortunately to no avail.

_Blast it, Jeff, I can't take him on right now! Snap out of it before the killer gets killed by the other killer!_ She collapsed as the older man – the one she knew had killed her sister – stepped back. His dark laugh hummed through the silence as he knelt next to the scarred teenager, taking a handful of raven hair before lifting the boy's head up.

"Hmhn," he chuckled, smiling slyly at Jakara. "So, then, how to do it? Slit his throat? Make it fast, make it slow? Agonizing, excruciating, terrifying?"

"Listen, you psychopath. You can do whatever you like to me, but I swear if you hurt someone else just to get at me…" She struggled to get up, but couldn't and clunked back onto her butt, panting and trying to overcome the dizziness with no success.

"Mn, how about no?" The man drew a large knife from his sleeve, slowly putting it against Jeff's face. "I'll just decorate this brat before finishing you."

_On my own strength, I couldn't do anything to him. But with some momentum, even if I'm completely limp, it should be enough to get him off Jeff…_ The girl pretended to fall onto her hands, pressing her feet against the wall behind her, leaning back like a cat about to pounce, and rocketed forward, grabbing the older murderer and dragging him along.

The two rolled before crashing into the far wall of the alleyway, breaking apart. The man staggered to his feet as Jakara lay where she was, panting and staring into Jeff's eyes. She was sure if he had eyelids, he'd be able to at least open them enough to see her, because his pupils flicked back and forth slightly and a small degree of awareness seemed to be present.

_Sorry, Jeff. I'm done. No way I can get up again now that I'm down like this. _A tear swelled in her right eye before slipping to the ground. It wasn't the pain or any fear of death that was the cause so much as a sense of guilt for being the reason the other teenager would die. She truly hated it when she caused others harm.

"S-sorry," she croaked.

_I'd've never done this if I knew what would happen._

Jeff's eyes widened further before narrowing into a determined glare. Just as the man approached once again, the black-haired boy rolled to Jakara, reaching into her pocket and taking his knife back before getting up barely in time to block a swipe from their attacker.

The two darted back and forth and although it was a tense fight, Jeff obviously had more experience with knives, as it ended with him the victor, his opponent lying on the ground with mortal wounds.

"Glad to know you've got a strong survival instinct," the girl mumbled, trying yet again to stand and rewarded with another painful reunion with the ground.

"Nah, I was just pissed you were giving up so easily."

"As much as I'd like to argue with that, you'd just not believe me anyways. But you should know that I'm poisoning your next meal for that."

"You're welcome, princess. Let's just go already." He grabbed the brunette and tossed her over his shoulder, walking with her smiling wryly at the undignified position.


	7. The Chapter of Bickering

_A.N. ~ I swear, I get a migraine just _thinking_ about listening to this chapter -.-' Hope you like arguing, 'cause that's what's on the menu. (The original title of this chapter was 'Rules', but reading over it again...ugh.)  
_

_Seven chapters means I remind you: Jeff's victims are red, L.J.'s victims are **very** red, I don't own anything except my ONs, and whenever Creepypasta is involved, there's just a lot of red. Screw the rhyme, I'm aiming for realism._

* * *

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!"

"So, are we just gonna sit here forever going back and forth with 'yes' and 'no'? 'Cause that's where this is going!" Jakara glared, crossing her arms and for once actually looking scary.

"It's happening whether you like it or not!"

"What're you gonna do? Carry me there and grab my hand with a knife in it to stab someone? Because there's no way I'd let you even pick me up if I didn't want you to! So once again: NO!"

"I-well…um…" Jeff's flare sizzled out and he looked down, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to think of a response.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. And just because you're a killer doesn't mean I want to be one. I happen to have rules. One being 'thou shalt not kill'." The girl rolled her eyes at his scoff as she sat down against the wall.

"For someone who's a natural at using knives, you sure are a goody-two-shoes."

"Thanks." He glared as she closed her eyes, clearly intending to fall asleep. _With_ her neck completely exposed and her arms hanging limply by her sides. Heck, he could pickpocket her, take all the knives away, and finish the girl off easily.

_So why don't you?_ The question made him try to blink in surprise.

_Why…why don't I? Well, she kinda saved my life so—_

_But you've saved hers, taken her in _and_ done her favors that were pains in the neck. If anything, she owes you now._ His little mental debate continued as he strolled off to get some food from the corner where the kept what they had. He often played Devil's Advocate with himself like this, but it usually ended with him frustrated and unsure.

_Y-yeah, but even if I tried killing her, she'd have me on the floor in seconds…_

_No she wouldn't! You just thought of it yourself. How you could kill her right now with next to no effort._

_I'm not killing Jackie._

_Why not?_

_Because I don't feel like it. Reason enough, now shut up._

He sighed, looking over how little there was left of their food. He'd have to go kill somebody and raid their fridge. Probably that night. Not that he was complaining, it was just that he'd have to make Jakara stay up late since they had a 'no sleeping when the other is out' policy and she usually got cranky when she didn't get enough sleep. Especially when the reason was he was out killing people.

Like many teenagers, the brunette had a habit of staying up as late as possible before crashing and sleeping in, then spending a good while just dozing or daydreaming. And it would be the devil to pay if anybody tried getting her up before eleven in the morning when she didn't have to.

"Honestly," he muttered, grabbing a slice of pizza and taking a massive bite.

"Honesty? Where? I thought that was a foreign concept here." The killer started, choking on the food and hurriedly chewing, hoping to swallow quickly so coughs could rack his body. "And about the whole 'don't sleep when you're alone' thing? We might as well do it anyway, for all the good it does."

Turning, the raven-haired teen saw Jakara standing with Laughing Jack struggling to get out of the headlock she'd trapped him in.

"Hey, Jeffy. I'm telling ya, this girl is perfect for you. She almost stabbed me when she woke up and kicked by butt even after she knew it was me."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have woken me up by kissing me! Seriously, do you have any idea what it's like to wake up to somebody who's barely in the friend-zone kissing you?" She glared, actually seething despite her not-too-terribly upset front.

_Well, my first kiss ever goes to the psychopathic clown. And not even the psychopathic clown I actually tolerate!_ She'd honestly hoped her first kiss would be with a boy she truly loved and knew, but sappy fantasies and real life just about couldn't ever mix most of the time, so she just tightened her grip further as Jack tried to pry himself away.

"Aw, I'm not your friend?" He pouted and she squeezed her arm as tightly as she could for a moment, causing him to begin hacking.

"Don't push your luck. Right now the only reason you're breathing is 'cause I have ethics."

"'Thou shalt not kill'?" Jeff guessed.

"Or something like that. But whenever Jackie here is around I have this strange feeling it's more of a guideline than anything." The fifteen-year-old finally stepped away, letting the monochrome man go. Unfortunately for him, the moment he straightened, Jeff stepped over and gave him a hard punch in his stomach.

"Kissin' a girl while she's sleeping. That's a new low even for you," the scarred teenager muttered, crossing his arms and looking without pity as Jack heaved for air, on his hands and knees with one arm wrapped around his abdomen.

"S-sorry. Couldn't help myself with all that cuteness right in front of me." The thought of kicking him brushed Jakara's mind, but she was too busy turning slightly away as a blush painted her cheeks.

"I'm not cute," she mumbled, carefully placing her hands in her pockets

"Well, that's up for debate," Jeff shrugged, almost instantly biting the inside of his cheek and averting his eyes, suppressing the heat trying to boil his face before any pink could show.

"Makin' a pass at a girl when she's not in the mood? That's new, Jeffy-bear. Actually, isn't going after girls new altogether?" Jack got up, slinging an arm around the other boy's shoulders and grinning, narrowly avoiding an elbow as it was jabbed at him.

"Wh-who said I was…"

"Aw, you're even blushing! Just hook up already! But then, if you don't wanna…" He grinned at Jakara again, implying so many things with just one look.

"I've come to a decision. It really is just a guideline," she announced, drawing her knives and immediately inducing a desperate scramble for the exit by a certain cone-nosed killer. "But I never said I wouldn't follow it," she added, putting away the blades before sticking her tongue out and pulling her left bottom eyelid down.

* * *

Jeff returned from his midnight murders, Jakara's backpack slung over one shoulder full of what he could take from the kitchen of his victims' houses. He slipped noiselessly to the food corner, emptying the bag before heading off to where he usually slept.

Jakara was resting with her back against one wall, eyes open and staring off at nothing in particular, though she mumbled a greeting as he walked by.

"Go ahead and sleep, princess. For all the good it would do us if an intelligent killer got in here."

"Yeah, sure."

In the morning, Jeff slowly got up, moving his arm off of where he often kept it over his face. He'd usually have a sleeping mask on, but his last one got damaged and he didn't have the motivation or presence of mind to get a new one.

However, his eyes shot as wide as humanly possible upon seeing Jakara in the exact same position as the one she'd been in the night before, blinking every couple seconds.

"When I mentioned intelligent killers, I was only joking," he muttered, drawing her attention.

"Yeah, there isn't one of those for miles. Just felt like staying up." The boy raised an eyebrow **[A.N. ~ You know what I mean!]**, but as someone who often said 'because I felt like it', he was good at knowing when somebody really did feel like doing something or whether it was simply an excuse. And with his roommate, it was the former.

"Well, go ahead and sleep or something. I'll make sure you don't drown in your own drool or anything."

"I was up when you weren't. You have absolutely no right to tease me about drooling in your sleep. Anyway, what're we even gonna be doing? I feel kinda useless…"

"Well, the main thing would be killing, but you're obviously not gonna be doing that anytime soon, so you pretty much _are_ useless. You could at least come along and raid the kitchen while I did my work so we could be out of there faster. Less chance to be caught then."

"Okay. Guess the dead have no use for food. And if it'll just spoil anyway…" Shrugging, she nodded and wandered over to her computer, powering it up before getting the nightcore version of 'Survive the Night' for 'Five Nights at Freddy's' playing prior to searching for something interesting. Eventually, though, the song repeating got old and she decided to play the actual game.

Thus after almost half an hour of nerve-wracking work, checking cameras, going to the door, and starting whenever one of the psychotic toys got in, Jakara was completely absorbed in the game, tensing as she always did as things got busy when suddenly—

"BAH!"

"AHHH!" The girl shot to her feet, instinctively ramming her elbow into Laughing Jack's face and backing up before trying to catch her breath. "L.J., wha—WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, YOU JERK?! JUMPING ME WHEN I'M PLAYING A HORROR GAME?!" She was still panting, but crossed her arms anyway and glared as the clown slowly got up from the floor with a groan, trying to keep blood from pouring out of his nose.

_Where is it even coming from,_ she wondered.

Then she remembered her game and dove back to the keyboard, trying to save her character since (annoyingly enough) there was no pause button, somehow surviving and sitting back in the chair to keep playing.

"What happened? How did they die? I heard a scream…" Jeff ran in with a knife, observing the scene before him with a snicker. "Jack, you scared her again, didn't you?"

"When I was playing a horror game! When I was already on edge!" The fifteen-year-old tossed her hands up, still speaking loudly and breathing heavily, though her fingers swiftly descended back onto the keyboard as the game progressed.

"For someone living with a hideous psycho with a knife, you sure scare easily," the monochrome killer mumbled.

"I'm not hideous!"

"Are too!"

"I could have any woman on this planet if I wanted!"

"They'd accept 'cause they'd be scared of you killing them!"

"Then just take my word for it!"

"No! Wait…" The cone-nosed man's voice dropped to normal. "Jackie's not scared of you, and she's obviously the hard-to-get type, soo…" Jakara's fist whacked the back of his head so hard he almost face-planted before she sat back down again.

"I'm sitting right here, doofus. And I'd never go on a date for a bet, so drop the subject and leave the Joker's appearance alone."

"HEY!"

"Just accept it before I start calling you Snow White," she warned with a glare. "Jeff doesn't look hideous, you're a jerk either way, and just let me get back to my game!"

The sound of the boys bickering caused her to sigh, but she simply raised the volume before nearly falling out of her seat as Freddy jumped out of nowhere screaming bloody murder.

"JACK, YOU GOT ME KILLED!"

"Did not!"

"I would've won if you hadn't gotten me away from the computer!"

"Run, Jack, run!"

"Do I look like Forrest Gump to you? Do I, clown boy?!"

"Who're you calling clown boy, _clown_?! You're a real clown, remember?!"

"BOTH OF YOU QUIT IT!"

* * *

"Well, those were the worst six nights of my life. And they happened in one day…" Jakara flopped onto the ground, immediately groaning and realizing just how stupid it was to flop onto stone as her ribs began aching.

"Well, princess, you voluntarily tried the four slash twenty mode. It's your fault that you got massacred like that." Jeff sat next to her, sharpening his favorite knife and smiling, as usual.

"Yep, but it still sucked. The first time or two the jump-scares were fine, but they get really old after a while. And hearing you screaming didn't help."

"I didn't scream!"

"Liar. Anyways, what now?"

"Nn, we've got enough food, but I'm craving chocolate. Probably gonna go hunting again tonight."

"Well, I'll raid the kitchen if that'll give me something to do. Just kill them quietly so we don't have cops on our tails right away."

"But it's no fun if they don't scream!"

"So let me go through the kitchen first and _then_ kill them. I don't know! Some people hide their chocolate, so it'll be hard if we end up with a time limit. Not to mention it might get broken if we're running."

"Fine, fine. You're no fun."

"Do you want chocolate or not?"

"Nngh."

* * *

"I blame you for this."

"You're the Jackie Chan here, it's your own fault." With a clink, the handcuffs on Jakara's wrists came off and she got up. A couple of cops had managed to catch up with and pin her, though Jeff had come to the girl's rescue within moments.

"And you killed your victims slowly."

"I use knives _because_ they're slow!"

"And that's why I can sleep around you. If you try killing me, it won't be fast." Grumbling slightly, Jeff roughly yanked the brunette the rest of the way back to her feet, stuffing his hands in his pockets and starting to walk away.

* * *

_A.N. ~ *Facepalm* As much fun as it was to write this chapter, whenever I imagine actually listening to all that arguing I get a headache._

_And just for clarification: No, Jeff wasn't hearing another voice. He was just mentally talking to himself. _


	8. Figuring Things Out

Months passed, spent mainly traveling from hideout to hideout, going on killing sprees (or kitchen raids, in Jakara'scase), and sprinkled with visits from Laughing Jack, who'd still not quite learned his lesson on startling the girl. Or bothering her. Or not taking her threats seriously.

And yet, they'd settled into a routine of going out to raid homes, changing location after a certain amount of time, and doing different things every now and then to stave off boredom or stay in shape. With the occasional few days of rest when Jeff was injured and needed to recover.

Of course, who could forget the few and far-apart awkward moments when the killer or brunette said something off that embarrassed them, or when Jack teased them about being a couple. The sexual tension of two similarly-aged teenagers of opposite genders living together, though ignored and suppressed as often as it could be, was still there and growing bit by bit as time passed.

_Uhhh, I've gotta stop thinking like this. My brain's messed up in over a dozen ways…_ Jakara could feel the heat of her cheeks as she tried forgetting the slight longing to fall asleep cuddled up against her…roommate? Friend? Acquaintance? Heck, she didn't know what to think of him. They had a sort of love-hate relationship that only could be labeled that way every now and then.

Maybe it was the absolute lack of physical contact that was making her wish for such things. She definitely wasn't a very touchy person. In fact, she usually disliked it when even her sister had ruffled her hair or touched her shoulder. However, every once in a while, she and Jacy would snuggle up on their living room's couch to watch a movie or would comfort each other after a nasty nightmare.

That was one thing about living with Jeff. No one to turn to when bad dreams shook her up.

On the killer's end, he was just as confused and frustrated with himself as Jakara was, struggling with A, he was a killer, which meant not caring for others or being friendly with them. B, he wasn't used to actually…_liking_ anyone or living with another person, and C, he didn't even know how to deal with this. Despite his cocky attitude, he really wasn't experienced or confident in…_that_ field.

So it eventually evolved to the point where they barely talked, avoided eye-contact and conversations as often as possible, and usually pretending the other wasn't there. But it was hard to dodge someone you lived with.

_Nngh, why and what?! I only miss occasional physical contact, right? What the heck am I doing, being this finicky around Jeff? I never did well around boys, but come on, I can't even be calm around somebody I've lived with for almost six months?_ With a defeated groan, the girl finally got up from where she'd settled on a railing in the abandoned factory they'd chosen, shuffling half-heartedly to get some food.

Unfortunately, she and Jeff had the same idea and arrived exactly at the same time, meeting each other's eyes briefly before quickly looking down, leaning over and reaching for their choices of food and putting their faces only inches apart.

Realization dawned and the pair turned to look at each other, both blushing and slowly shuffling away before quickly snatching up something to eat.

"Okay, screw it. This is ridiculous. What. The. Heck?" She crossed her arms, finally meeting his pale eyes with her own determined, slightly shy ones.

"What the heck back! You've been doing it, too." They spent a few seconds glaring before sharing an exasperated sigh.

"…I don't know what to say now that I've asked. Um…what the heck?" All of Jakara's previous energy evaporated and her voice became much smaller as her shoulders curled inwards and she subconsciously pulled the hood of her sweater up.

"For the love of—who are you, Hoodie?"

"I don't even know what that means." She glared and took an aggravated step towards Jeff, forgetting the awkwardness as her irritation rose. Despite her usual shyness, she was still hot-blooded and never liked being verbally attacked.

Suddenly their faces were pressed together and they could feel a hand on the backs of their heads. As soon as they managed to break free, they turned to see Laughing Jack cackling away, clutching his stomach and only howling louder upon seeing their shell-shocked expressions and blushes.

"J-J…JACK, YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!" Jakara howled, pulling out her knives and charging, closely followed by Jeff, who'd done the same. The clown's eyes widened all the way and he let out a curse before dashing for the exit, pursued and continuously threatened by his victims.

Luckily for him, he was an extremely fast runner. However, even if she was far from a long-distance runner, the girl was a good sprinter and put in one last extra spurt, jumping up to leap off a railing so as to have the required momentum to finally tackle him.

She pinned his arms with her knees and promptly punched the monochrome killer repeatedly before being roughly shoved aside by Jeff, who simply lined up to plunge his knife into the other murderer's chest.

Regrettably, the realization that he was in serious danger of being killed triggered Jack's fight-or-flight instincts and he slashed as hard as he could, digging deeply into Jeff's face with his claws and squirming away before taking off again, escaping while the two regained their wits.

"U-Uh…I-I-I…" Jakara, remembering the forced kiss, turned redder than the blood of any of Jeff's victims and spun, running away without another word as a maelstrom of thoughts crashed through her head.

She raced in a random direction, only looking slightly ahead just enough so as not to crash or fall until she was out of breath and had to rest. The brunette sat down, hugging her knees to her chest and burying her face in her legs as she tried to calm down. But it was useless.

She couldn't figure out anything, and could only grasp concepts instead of thoroughly going through things, like seeing blurred images instead of clear ones through a thick pane of glass.

She tried figuring out whether she liked the kiss or not, then actually hit herself for thinking about that, then mentally cursed Jack before wondering how she could even go near Jeff after that had happened.

"Agh, L.J., YOU IDIOT!" She twisted and punched the wall as hard as she could, wincing and cradling her hand as it began bleeding, then shivering and trying not to sob as the pain increased and she realized something was probably broken. "I'm such an idiot," she whispered hoarsely.

Some minutes later, light footsteps on the old metal floor could be heard and the brunette pulled her hood as far and low as possible before continuing to cradle her swollen right hand, turning her head so she wouldn't have to look at Jeff, who simply stopped at the top of the stairs to examine her.

Bloody fisted, even with her hood hiding virtually her entire face except for her lips and chin he could tell she was looking away towards the wall, and curled into a tight ball so she seemed to be no larger than a small child.

"…Jackie?" She shifted slightly, but only to draw her legs somehow even closer and to crank her neck as far as possible. "Jack, come on. I was surprised, too, but is it really that ba—"

"Yes, Jeff, it actually is." Her tense, sharp interruption startled him and he took a step back, trying to blink out of bewilderment before frowning slightly.

"Didn't know it was such an offensive idea. Sorry." His tone became somewhat bitter, drawing a sigh from Jakara.

"I-it's not you, okay?" The corners of her mouth pulled back and tilted slightly downwards and she hunched her shoulders, giving her the appearance of a pouting owl.

The killer's frown deepened upon hearing her defensive, loud reply and he tilted his head. "I-is it because you've never had a—" he quickly broke off as she suddenly looked at him. He didn't need to see her face to know there was a glare worthy of bloody death itself aimed at him.

"In case you didn't notice, I'm not a very touchy person. And we've been acting weird for the last while for reasons I still don't understand, so forgive me for being a little confused, alright?" She looked away again, coughing a couple times as her throat tightened.

_No, don't cry, blast it. DON'T FREAKING CRY RIGHT NOW! There's no reason to even…agh!_ A few tears slipped out anyways and she could only silently pray he couldn't see them.

But the universe still hadn't quite finished spiting her, and Jeff's eyes went as far as they could upon noticing the shimmering liquid on her chin, watching as it dripped onto her knee before being soaked up by the dark fabric of her pants.

_Wh-what the heck?! I feel guilty. And since when does Jackie cry? She's…since when?!_ Face-palming, the killer muttered something to himself before slowly approaching the other teenager, kneeling in front of her before gently wiping away the tears.

She flinched slightly, tensing at the close proximity and trembling even more, less from the pain and more due to her scattered emotions and uncertainty.

"S-so, now what? Um…I-I…n-never had a…and I don't really know what to…" He shrugged, lowering his head shamefully before sitting back with a groan.

"Y-you're talking like we're…" Jakara knew she was blushing again and shoved her face against her legs once more. "Look, I don't even know what to think right now. I don't know what to do with you, or L.J…heck, I don't even know what to do with myself anymore."

"Then figure it out while we take care of your hand."

* * *

Almost as soon as her hand was bandaged and put back together, the girl went to the nearest corner and curled up the exact same way she had earlier, still shivering slightly and fidgeting at every sound Jeff made. Honestly, it was getting on his nerves how un-Jakara-like she was being, and after almost ten minutes, he'd had enough.

"Okay, that's it. Man up already and stop acting like we committed some unspeakable evil. It was awkward, we've established it wasn't intentional, get over it. This is really pathetic, coming from you." A knife whizzed by his head, actually nicking the killer's ear before embedding itself in the wall behind him. His eyes were saucers as he stared at where she'd stood up, using her good hand to tear back the hood of her sweater so he could see her absolute 'I'm pissed' glare of doom.

_I'm deeaad, oh, so very dead._

"Shut up before I completely lose it, _Jeff._" He actually had to back up because of the ferocity with which she'd said his name. "It may seem alright to you, but I've never really kissed anyone, and I've _never_ gotten along with boys, _and_ I barely ever allow physical contact in _that_ sense. Actually, I've basically _never_ been touched like that. So blow it off as something not-serious, if it's really that unimportant to you, but if you're going to rag on me, you can just _go. To. Sleep._" That _really_ shocked him and he realized he'd backed up against the wall.

_Crap, she's actually kinda scary when she's pissed. Um, I should probably exit the room…or the continent, just to be safe._

"I-u-uh, well…" Cold sweat slipped down his neck as he groped for a response that wouldn't ensure his imminent death, coming up fairly blank in his search. "Ahhh….there's no right answer for this, is there?" Jakara just sat down again, putting up her hood, crossing her arms, and remaining as still as possible.

"Just leave me alone until I can figure things out."

* * *

In the morning, after a restless sleep that slightly managed to calm her nerves, Jakara breathed out a long sigh before trying to think.

_Okay, start slowly. We've been avoiding each other, blushing, and acting finicky. I did it because I was embarrassed by L.J. and attracted to Jeff. Does that mean he—no, no, concentrate on your own emotions for now. Okay, so the kiss I didn't hate, it was the sudden intimate contact with somebody I like. And then I've just been trying to figure it out and how to act around Jeff…wow, there's actually really not much when I calm down and think about it…BUT I STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!_

The girl groaned, sitting up and wandering off to her favorite part of the factory; a rafter that she could climb onto from which she could look out over a massive room of ancient abandoned machines, not to mention the network of walkways surrounding it.

She sat there, letting her mind go blank for the first time in hours, finally feeling emotional peace. Eventually, she let her thoughts wander here and there, hoping to find a solution and piecing things together.

_Jeff and I only started acting like this a couple weeks ago, back when all Jack would tease us about was being a couple, and the kiss was the final blow. I know I like Jeff, and there's a possibility he likes me, but if I ask him that and things go wrong, it'll be really bad 'cause we live together…_ So much for emotional peace.

"I take it you've already thought out all the possibilities and weighed the risks?" The brunette started, grabbing the beam behind her to balance before looking quickly to where Jeff had snuck up on her.

"Risks of what?" But it was obvious to both of them that she was playing dumb and the killer sighed, uncrossing his arms.

"Okay, so…I-I…" Red began blooming on the boy's face and he looked away, scratching the back of his neck. "It's pretty obvious that I…d-do you…?" Jakara's own cheeks heated up as she realized what he meant.

"Y-yeah, I…" She hunched her shoulders and seemed to shrink into herself, habitually pulling her hood up and getting a rather unhappy look from Jeff as a result.

"Then knock it off with all the moping and hiding, at least!"

"Oi, cool off, Romeo. I'm working on it. You're the first guy I've ever…a-and I'm nervous, okay? So just give me a minute to stop freaking out."

"Sorry the concept of dating me is so repulsive." The brunette actually _cursed_, startling her friend and making him shut up. He'd _never,_ not _once_ heard Jakara curse, and now she'd just howled one at the top of her lungs.

"You're such an idiot for thinking you're the problem! I don't see you as repulsive, or hideous, or disgusting, okay? I just don't know how to handle this or what to do. It's not your fault…" She shoved her face against her legs, as usual, and muttered the last part.

Jeff tilted his head, trying to think from the other teenager's point of view. If he was completely inexperienced in this field (which he was, anyways), _definitely_ not a touchy person (also something that was true), and was as independent and nervous around people of the opposite sex as she was…well, he couldn't really stay angry.

"W-will you come down now?" She glanced at him before nodding, getting up carefully before making a heart-stopping hop from her rafter to the walkway he stood on, stumbling a couple steps and hissing as her injured hand was jarred. With his entire face pink, Jeff slowly, carefully approached before tentatively raising his arms, silently asking for a hug which was accepted after a couple moment's hesitation.

_He's warm…_ Smiling slightly, she tightened her grip and pressed against him more, burying her face against his shoulder and starting to relax, surprising and pleasing the boy.

"Oh, hohooo! Jef-fy, you are the _man_!" The two broke apart swiftly to see L.J. sitting on the railing nearby, grinning like a horny Cheshire Cat. It didn't take long for one of Jakara's knives to fly straight into his shoulder, deep enough to stick in and draw a pained howl.

"And you're gonna die if you don't escape before we get over there," she warned, already starting to hurry towards where the two walkways they were on bridged together.

* * *

_A.N. ~ *Troll face* L.J., you troll XD Well, here we go, the long-awaited (or maybe not?) hook up. In one of the most pain-staking, tentative ways possible :)  
_


	9. Complications

Jakara blinked a few times, trying to make her vision less blurry and failing to control her shivering. She was actually overheating, but nightmares had that special talent for making people shake like babies.

She prepared to endure a miserable short eternity of trying to fall back asleep until she remembered that physical contact between her and Jeff was allowed to be more frequent since they'd non-verbally semi-implied that they were dating.

So, the fifteen-year-old crawled slowly over to where the killer was sleeping with a mask he'd pilfered from one of his victims on, pausing and wondering if she shouldn't and just leave him be lest she woke him up before sighing and slowly lowering herself down, rolling so her back pressed against his.

"Nngh, Jackie? What're you doing?" She inwardly groaned as he turned to face her, wondering what to say. She really did _not_ want to admit to having nightmares that made her act like a frightened child, but what else could she say?

"…"

"Well then, as long as you're here." She felt one of his arms wrapping around her waist and tensed, blushing and contemplating whether she should move or not before realizing how comfortable she was, and just snuggled against him before trying to drift off into sleep.

* * *

"You're cute, you know that?" That was the first thing Jakara heard when she woke up. And the first thing she saw was Jeff's face only an inch or two away from hers.

Her face flushed and she wondered if he'd done anything while she was unconscious, which was unlikely since she was a light sleeper.

_…crap, I think she's pissed. If she notices where my right hand is, I'm dead…_ He, while asleep, had pretty much wrapped himself around her, and his hand was a bit too low on her back for comfort. He quickly sat up, but she rose with him, quickly hugging him before standing and speed-walking towards where they kept the food. _Dang it, she's cute._

"Hey, hotshot, what do you want for breakfast?" He smirked and got up, following the girl and finding her in a kneel in front of the food, looking around and twisting her mouth in a way he'd noticed she only did when dissatisfied.

"Can't find anything you like?" He murmured, hugging her from behind. She coughed from surprise before nuzzling his neck like a cat.

"Just don't feel like anything here. I'll probably just wait 'til lunch. I'm less picky when I'm hungry…" He nodded before grabbing a bag of potato chips, yanking it open and starting to crunch on them.

"Well, princess, we've got a free day. Anything you want to do?" She plucked the chip he'd had only a few centimeters from his mouth away, eating it and smirking at his pout.

"Well, joker, I'm open to suggestions. Whatever suits your fancy." He frowned at the nickname, realizing with bitter relief that she'd regained her sense of humor and revenge.

"Mm, ice cream?"

"I could eat that for breakfast." They shared a grin while walking out. Jeff always stole what cash he could from his victims, so they usually had enough for whatever treats they felt like. And so they were walking out, both with their hoodies on, knives in their pockets, and walking fairly close to each other.

"This should be much more fun now that we don't have to worry about somebody trying to kill us," Jeff murmured half way there.

"Something about that makes things less stressful. I'm not sure why, but it does." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she blushed, then pressed against him again, smiling slightly and wondering if – hoping – their new-found relationship would last.

* * *

Jakara stopped abruptly, stepping away from Jeff and striding to a hydro pole and ripping a poster off it, looking it over quickly a moment before turning and running as fast as she could back the way they'd come. The killer stared before snatching up the paper she'd dropped, subconsciously letting his lips part as he examined the sketch of his friend's face and the plea for her to be found.

He soon realized what was going on and took off after her. He'd already lost sight of the sixteen-year-old since it was dark out and she was wearing black clothing, not to mention she'd had a head start, but he knew where she was going.

After almost ten minutes of continuous running, he stopped at a certain door, slowly opening it and slinking halfway in only to freeze as surprised, confused blue eyes and hard brown ones fell on him.

"Th-that's the guy who knocked me out! He's the one who…Kara, run." The older of the two girls swept the younger behind her, standing defensively as Jeff came all the way in and staying hunched like a cornered animal.

"…Jeff, why?" He frowned at how soft Jakara's voice was, then his eyes went as far open as possible as she got a furious glare on her face.

_…Well, it was nice living while I did. Bye, world._

The poor killer's girlfriend suddenly had him shoved against the wall, held up onto his tip-toes by the collar of her shirt and barely able to breathe easily.

"WHY THE HECK DID YOU SAY SHE WAS DEAD?!" He instinctually began drawing his knife, letting the vicious, insane instincts he'd become accustomed to start to cloud his mind before seeing the unshed tears welling in her eyes. That somehow brought what little sanity he had left back and he stopped, letting his hands hang limply by his sides.

"I did it to keep her alive." With an exasperated sigh, the brunette let him drop back onto his feet, frowning and muttering to herself before addressing her companion.

"Screw it, I know you have a reason that'll make sense after an explanation. Just talk quickly. I'm a hothead and Jacy's worse when she's this pissed." He flattened himself against the wall, gulping and wondering how likely his death was.

"Few and fast words. Got it. Okay, the guy wanted you and everyone you loved dead, right? He couldn't have known who Jacy was yet and separating you two was the only way I could think of on the spot to keep her alive, so I went and knocked her out to buy time." The snap of Jakara's palm scraping against his cheek reverberated through the room.

"He's been dead for _four_ months, Jeff! FOUR MONTHS! Why didn't you tell me?! You could've just said 'we need to leave so your sister won't die' and explained on the way!" He flinched at her rant, lightly brushing the tender spot where his skin was smarting.

"Jakara, what the heck are you doing with him? What's going on?" Jacy interrupted, drawing her sister's attention and a sigh.

"Rrgh, this is gonna take some explaining. Let's sit down." As they walked towards the living room, Jeff tentatively placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. She tensed and began reaching to push it off before pausing and allowing the contact.

_Okay, I'm gonna need the emotional support, but he's SO getting it later._ And so Jacy sat in an armchair while the teenagers sat on the couch, close enough to lightly brush each other's arm with their own but too far to really make it a cuddle. In fact, Jakara was still leaning slightly away, though that didn't seem to catch her sister's irritated, incredulous eyes.

"Okay, okay…let's start with the basics. I found Jeff in an alleyway injured pretty badly. Brought him home to help him and hid him in the basement. Almost a week later, somebody attacked me and cut me with his knife. I barely got away and passed out from blood loss after I managed to get back home. The guy who went after me said he'd kill me and everyone I loved, so when I came to, I told Jeff what happened I asked him to make sure you got home safe." Running out of what she already knew, the younger of the siblings shrugged and looked to Jeff.

"As I said, I figured that if the guy saw you two together, he'd target you, so I needed Jackie to leave in order to keep you alive. Since I was where you were and she was weak from getting hurt, I had to buy time and knock you out." The explanation didn't seem to improve either female's moods, and he swallowed hard again.

"I will repeat myself. Why didn't you tell me?" He met Jakara's confused, angry eyes and sighed.

"You're stubborn and hot-blooded. I didn't know how you'd react if I told the truth. So, I lied."

"And after the guy got killed? Why not then?"

"…"

"New subject. Why are you and my baby sister sitting so close together?" Jacy crossed her arms, glaring bloody murder and causing the two to scoot apart.

"Well, six months living together kind ended in…" Jeff scratched the back of his neck, then yelped as the blond invaded his personal space.

"HAVE YOU MADE MY LITTLE SISTER UNPURE?! **HAVE YOU**?!" Both teenager's faces exploded in red as they realized what she was asking.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a second! That's taking it _way_ too far! We only…we only g-got together _yesterday_!" Jakara's stuttered protest didn't seem to convince her sibling, who hummed suspiciously and leaned in so her forehead was pressed against Jeff's. He began sweating, trying to lean back and eventually saved by the brunette, who gently tugged her sister away.

"Hey, he's a jerk and I'm gonna give him the scolding of his life, but that's a bit close for you two…"

"Hypocritical, coming from you…"

"You're not the one dating him. And please forget I just said that."

Jeff frowned. "Why?"

"Because I'm still pissed at you. Sleep lightly."

* * *

"Jakara, you awake?" Jeff's voice hissed softly and he carefully opened the door to her room. He'd been on the couch, but guilt and worry was gnawing at his mind. She just lay with her back turned to him, breathing normally, but shifting slightly in a way that made him sure she was awake. He, after all, specialized in knowing when someone was or wasn't asleep.

The killer gently slipped under the covers, inches from the girl and yet feeling like they were worlds apart.

"Hhh, I'm really sorry…" He pushed his face into the pillow and clenched his teeth to suppress the pain, unaware of the silent tears running down the other teenager's face.

* * *

Jeff's pale grey eyes regained life as he awoke, then shot wide open as he realized he was snuggled against Jakara, hugging her and being hugged back with no way to escape without waking her up. He remained frozen for the ten minutes it took for her to wake up, and just stared as sweat rolled down his neck while she looked at him, then the position they were in, and then back at him.

He began sitting up and pulling away, but her arms tightened and she yanked him back down, snuggling against the boy and resting her head on his shoulder before starting to doze.

_Does this mean I'm forgiven? …or is she just lulling me into a false sense of security before—_with a slight shudder, he gently placed a hand on her back before trying to sleep himself.

* * *

"OH, HECK NO!"

"AAGH!" Jeff's wail had Jakara sitting up immediately, drawing her knives and quickly rubbing sleep out of her eyes only to see the boy on the floor held up by his ankles by none other than a _very_ unhappy Jacy.

"Grief, Jace, I thought a real serial killer got in here. Do you want me to die of a heart attack?" The brunette grumbled incoherently to herself as she put the knives back under her pillow, groping for the hoodie she'd left near the foot of the bed and pulling it on before shoving the blades in the garment's pocket.

"I _am_ a real serial killer!"

"Gesundheit. Jacy, you can let him down, now."

"No! What were you doing in bed with my sister?" The woman shook Jeff sharply. "Hmm? What were you doing?"

"GO. TO. SLEEP!"

"Carry that threat out and I'll repaint my room with _your_ blood, Jeff!" Jakara stepped off her bed, finally managing to get her sibling to let go before dragging her boyfriend to his feet and holding him against a wall.

"You still haven't answered me!"

"Cuddling, snuggling, whatever! It's not like we were doing anything!" The sixteen-year-old crossed her arms and rolled her eyes as Jeff and Jacy squared off.

"You stay away from my kid sister, got it?"

"Your 'kid sister' is way scarier and grown-up than you think."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!"

"I MEAN SHE CAN KICK MY BUTT, SHE CAN KICK L.J.'S BUTT, SHE CAN PRETTY MUCH KICK ANYONE'S BUTT IF SHE FEELS LIKE IT! SHE'S NOT HELPLESS!"

"SO YOU'RE SAYING IF YOU TRIED ANYTHING, SHE'D STOP YOU?"

"She sleeps with two massive, sharp knives under her pillow and is basically a female Jackie Chan. If I did _anything_ to her, I'd be in pain on the floor. She's better at knife-play than _I_ am!" Jacy's eyes turned on her sister who sighed, scratching the back of her neck.

"Yeah, I sorta never mentioned that I've been practicing martial arts ever since we moved in here."

"And the knives?"

"I…have a natural aptitude for using sharp things?"

"And did Jeff do anything indecent?"

"If he did I'd hang him from the ceiling and whip him with a sock soaked in toilet water."

"She already did that to L.J., and that was _after_ stripping him down to his boxer shorts." Both teenagers backed up at the darkening of Jacy's expression upon hearing that.

"Jeff, you idiot! My sister's _murderous_ when it comes to protecting me and you just had to say _that_?!"

"I didn't think she'd react like this!"

"And that's why you're an idiot!"

"Jakara…"

_Crap, she used my full name. Can't flee, either…CRAP!_

"We need to have a talk about your view on nudity."

"H-he wasn't naked! The only difference between boxers and shorts are that boxers go under the shorts! They even look like shorts! I'd see nothing more if I went to the frickin' _beach_!" The brunette took refuge behind Jeff, peering over his shoulder and still backing up with him until they were pressed against the wall.

"Jeff, WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BABY SISTER?!"

"Jeff…now's a great time to RUN!"

* * *

_A.N. ~ The terrible Jacy has been angered! Flee! Flee for your lives! XD Poor Jeff, though. Banned to the couch of shame._


	10. Introducing The Clown

"Your sister's really scary…" Jeff rubbed his shoulder where a bruise was forming, wincing at the memory of that morning.

"Tell me about it. I'm just amazed she hasn't kicked you out yet. And hasn't had my head on a silver platter." The two sighed, one cooking and the other watching her work. Both of them suddenly smiled as a sense of déjà vu hit them, and the smiles only widened into grins upon seeing that they were both thinking the exact same thing.

"Don't worry, I won't gut anyone with the kitchen knives. Unlike E.J., I'm no cannibal." He placed his hands on her shoulders and pressed a cheek to hers, suddenly with a sly smirk on his face which only increased upon seeing her blush.

"Hoodie, E.J., who next? Slenderman?"

"As a matter of fact…"

"Ha, ha. Well, come to think of it, it'd be really easy to make dinner with so many tentacles to use…"

"Is food all you ever think about?"

"Only when I'm hungry." She began chopping a cucumber, still somehow good with a knife used for culinary purposes despite half a year away from the kitchen and only a single usable hand.

"It's a real pity you don't like hurting people. I'd love to see what you could do with a knife when you aren't attacking vegetables."

"Don't let Jacy hear you say that or it'll be the Devil to pay. And sorry to disappoint, but I'm pretty much never changing my mind." The oven dinged and she grabbed a casserole dish full of meat and cheese and tortillas, putting it in before returning to the salad.

"No kidding. You're one stubborn person, I'll give you that."

"Thanks. Now, if you're gonna hover, then wash your hands and start washing the lettuce, please." Smirking, he nodded and began working, side-by-side with Jakara and starting to smell the cooking food already.

* * *

"And this is?"

"Laughing Jack. AKA L.J., Jack, Jackie, or imbecile if you feel like being honest. Don't worry, he isn't a threat." Jakara shrugged, ignoring Jack as he desperately pried at her arm which was around his neck tight enough to make him choke for air.

"Let him go. I owe this jerk some cuts." Jeff glared, pointing at the four still-healing gashes on his right cheek from when the other killer had clawed him. Shrugging, the brunette released the clown and he coughed, backed away, and tried calming down the other boy all at once.

"J-Jeeff! How are ya? Not too bad, I hope? Well then, it seems like I'm interrupting dinner, so I'll just be going, then…" The monochrome man was grabbed by the collar of his shirt and shoved against the nearest wall, giggling hysterically upon seeing the clenched, bared teeth of Jeff, who was slowly drawing his knife and initiating exasperated sighs from the girls.

"Is this normal?" Jacy mumbled.

"Yep. You'll get used to it. Jeff, you're cleaning up any blood that falls."

"Small price to pay to deal with this little—mph!" Jack, seeing no other options and getting an idea upon noticing how close Jeff's face was to his, decided to kiss the other male and hope for the best. And what do you know, that caused the scarred teenager to jerk back, spitting and hacking while Jakara lost an indignant…whine? Growl? …both.

But Jacy could only muffle a laugh, trying to get her giggling under control as the boys started bickering and her sister simply face-palmed with a groan.

"Guys…guys?" They continued arguing and the brunette grabbed a couple spoons, scooping up some steaming bits of the casserole before sneaking up and shoving them in their mouths next time they opened to start shouting again, effectively shutting them up and getting their absolute attention. "No more fighting in the house, 'kay? After all, the room where most accidents happen is the one where you two and I are." She walked back to the table, getting her food and preparing to eat. Jacy was to her right, and two empty seats were left on the square table.

Jeff swooped in _just_ before Jack could sit next to his girlfriend, glaring and watching like a mistrustful wolf as the clown took the seat next to Jacy before smiling in a strange way at the woman.

"Don't look at my sister like that," both girls growled at the same time, looking at either boy respectively before everyone burst into laughter.

"I'm still mad, but that was just too good," the blond snickered.

"L.J., Jackie is gonna turn you into a piñata if you hit on her sister," Jeff warned.

"I can live with th—never mind, never mind! Heheh, I didn't mean it! Sorry!" He waved his hands frantically as the girl in question began standing. She simply smirked before continuing to eat.

* * *

It was actually amusing, how routine things became. Often, Jakara and Jeff would sleep in her bed, snuggled up and happy. And in the morning, Jeff would be dragged by his ankles out by Jacy, who'd proceed to give him death threats and shout at the both of them for even being in such close proximity to each other.

Then they would eat breakfast and the woman would leave for work while her sister continued her job hunt. She wasn't going back to school for multiple reasons, and being a freeloader didn't sit well with the brunette, so she tried finding work.

Jeff usually helped with meals and didn't do much, occasionally slipping out at night to kill and usually bringing money back with him as his contribution. Of course, Jacy didn't know about that part, but what she didn't know wouldn't kill her, right?

And so, on a beautiful, sunny morning with the few birds that didn't migrate singing and a nice mid-winter thaw to cheer everyone up, Jakara and Jeff were especially deep in slumber, cuddled up as usual with the girl using her boyfriend's shoulder as a cushion and his free hand on her back.

It was serene and comfortable, and somewhat cute, to be honest. But of course….

...

...

...

Nope, Jacy couldn't do it. She just couldn't bring herself to torment Jeff and wake either up when they were obviously both resting so peacefully. And they really did look kind of adorable, snuggled up and with slack faces that almost seemed to have faint looks of pleasure on them. Who wouldn't be happy on such a gorgeous day?

So she sighed, leaving to write a note and get breakfast so the two could sleep, despite her protective urges to get Jeff away from her sister.

_Those two are dating, so get over it. It's selfish and unfair to make them unhappy because I haven't gotten used to the idea of my kid sister grown up. _

Almost two hours later, well after Jacy had left for work, Jeff woke slowly, dozing and just lying there without presence of mind for a while before slowly coming out of it and tentatively moving his left hand off her back to pull off his mask before putting it back and carefully turning his head to look at Jakara.

She was still dead to the world, but as though she somehow sensed he'd awoken, her hands curled like a cat kneading, holding onto his T-shirt before she nuzzled against him and got even more settled.

The boy's natural smile widened as he watched her, imagining her dark, cerulean eyes sparkling mischievously as they usually did before returning his focus to how calm she looked. In fact, the hothead actually seemed somehow younger and appeared far more innocent when she was asleep. Like a small child, really.

Then her brilliant, vivid eyes blinked open and she smiled as well, smirking slightly and hugging him.

"Like what you see?" She murmured, chuckling as he replied with 'as a matter of fact'. They pulled apart and she lost herself in _his_ eyes. Those storm-cloud-grey, shiny eyes filled with curiosity and cockiness all at once, that always caught on the tiniest of details and could flash from gentle to deadly in a single moment.

"Like what you see?" She grinned, faintly remembering the first time they'd gone through this.

"As a matter of fact. So then," her voice adopted an English accent. "Shall we have breakfast?" A surprised and excited yelp left Jakara's lips as Jeff stood, picking her up bridal-style on his way and hopping to the floor with a look that spelled mischief.

"Ah, but a lady should be _served_ breakfast, don't you agree?" He had also taken up the accent and carefully maneuvered out of the door without hurting the brunette.

"Oh, kind sir, you mustn't trouble yourself for my sake!" She giggled as he spun a couple times, holding tightly around his neck and enjoying the air that whipped past her face.

"Milady, for you," Jeff's smirk melted into a gentle smile, "anything." He gave a quick peck on her cheek, unceremoniously tossing the surprised teenager onto the couch before tearing up the stairs, cackling all the while as she gave chase.

* * *

Jakara nearly stopped in her tracks as her new boss gave her a tour of the small store where she'd be working when she noticed Jeff standing outside the window, watching her.

"Is something the matter?" She blinked at the sharp voice of the older woman before smiling.

"N-no, no, sorry. You were saying?"

After the tour and being told to stay at the counter, the girl blew out a relieved sigh, then glared at where Jeff was still staring. He came in, with his hood up so most of his face was hidden, and grinned even wider than normal.

"You are so dead," she muttered once he leaned against the counter edge.

"Aw, so heartless! And even after I came to buy some chocolate, too." He pulled a ten dollar bill out of his pocket, waving it teasingly under her nose before wandering around and collecting bits and pieces from around the spacious store. He returned, paying after she calculated the total amount and wasting no time popping one into his mouth.

"So, are you gonna hang around all day or what?"

"Eh, I think I'll keep you company for a while. And besides, it's dangerous for something as cute as you to be on display like this. Can't have any thieves coming to whisk you away." He attempted winking, smirking at her blush.

"Y'know, I'm armed and not helpless." It was a half-hearted mutter, but somehow seemed to bring amusement.

"If you want I can leave you all by your lonesome."

"N-no, it's fine. But if customers come in, behave yourself. I don't wanna get fired on my first day." He laughed at her pout.

"Sure thing. But I'm killing anyone who flirts with you."

"Jeff, nobody's even gonna do that! And I forbid it! If they try flirting with me unsuccessfully, they'll probably come back. Love-sick idiots make for good business." Now _he_ was the one with the pout, trying to squint suspiciously at her and leaning slightly forward.

"Are you saying you're gonna flirt with guys just so they'll come back?"

"No, I'm saying I'm gonna ignore and pretty much clock-block any and all attempts. If they're persistent, they'll come back to buy more stuff as an excuse to try again."

"Don't you think that's a little low?" He still looked unhappy and she playfully rubbed a hand over the top of his head.

"I think somebody who would kill a person for not having the right flavor of ice cream is being hypocritical. I'm not gonna flirt back, and besides, I don't even really want anyone to do it, anyways. I'm just stating the benefits of _if_ that ever happens."

"Mm." Just then the bell over the door rang and a small girl broke away from her mother, looking around happily and darting from place to place as the plethora of sweets caught her eye.

After a short while, Jeff had to move out of the way so the two customers could reach Jakara. His hair mostly hid his scars, but even then, the mother kept glancing at him nervously, and hurried with her daughter after paying.

"People can be such cowards," the brunette murmured as her boyfriend rejoined her.

"Aw, you're angry for me?" She blushed and face-palmed at the scarred teenager's lovey-dovey tone.

"I seriously can't believe you're you some days."

"I love you, too."

* * *

The bell drew Jakara's attention, but she didn't look up from the small book in her hand. After nearly a week of the job, she'd grown accustomed to customers' behavior. They always took at least a couple minutes, so she wouldn't have to worry for a little while.

But surprisingly enough, it only took a few seconds for a bag of black licorice to be plopped on the counter and she looked up, then practically dropped the book.

"L-L.J.?! What are you…what the heck?" The clown grinned, showing off his pointy teeth and chuckling.

"Hey, Jackie! Well, I noticed you were here and I needed some candy, anyways, so…here we are!" He gestured with a clawed hand at the sweets and got a raised eyebrow in reply.

"Right, well, you've got three dollars and sixty-five cents on you?"

"D'aw, but aren't friends here to help each other? C'mon, just this once?" The girl rolled her eyes before dragging the bag out of reach, putting it on one of the counter's shelves.

"No. Come back when you've got the money."

"But Jackiiee!"

"Jack, I'm seriously not giving you anything for free. Get the money first."

"Can't I do an 'I owe you'?"

"No, you won't pay it back. L.J., just give it up and get the money. You know I'm not gonna change my mind." He smirked, leaning towards her so his cone-like nose poked the tip of her own.

"What if I try taking something by force?"

"Then I'll hunt you down or make you cough up the money the next time you 'visit'. Heck, Jeff is still mad at you, I could just ask _him_ to do it." A sharp cough made them both look to where Jakara's boss stood with her arms crossed in the doorway.

"Is there a problem here?"

"Sorry, ma'am. He's just being a bit stingy with the money. Assuming he even has any."

"Aw, Jackie! How cold of you!" The killer threw an arm around her shoulders, hugging tightly and promptly getting shoved off.

"That's the line, L.J. _One_ more invasion of personal space, I dare you. Just try me." That actually managed to finally catch the monochrome man's attention and he shied away from her, raising his hands appeasingly as she glared.

"F-forgive me my rudeness, ma'am. I certainly didn't mean to cause you any trouble, I just—" He suddenly grabbed another bag of licorice and tore out of the store.

"Can I please chase after him?" The older woman sighed with a nod and Jakara darted out the door, pursuing and shouting a threat to L.J., who was cackling and sprinting like there was no tomorrow.

* * *

_A.N. ~ a peck on the cheek, but not quite a full kiss yet. And L.J. just doesn't learn, does he? He's lucky he's such a fast runner XD  
_


	11. Insane Love

_A.N. ~ so, this is the longest chapter yet - over 3,000 words. *Mumbling* more my style, anyways... Well, brownie points to anyone who gets the 'Crocodile Dundee' reference.  
_

* * *

Jakara clenched her teeth lightly as a man either in his late teens or early twenties made yet _another_ attempt at conversation with her. He didn't look so bad. In fact, his light blond hair and blue eyes coupled with his square chin made quite the attractive combination. But heck, she was dating _Jeff the_ _Killer_. She didn't judge people on looks.

_I'm no longer happy looking older than I am. Can I go back to looking like I'm sixteen, please?_

"So, been working here long?" He leaned on the counter, smiling with pearly white teeth at the brunette, who wondered how long he was going to keep unsuccessfully trying.

_He doesn't know how to take a hint. If Jeff stabs him from behind, would he get it then?_

"A couple months." She also wondered if she could get away with grabbing the book she'd been reading and ignoring him. But that hadn't gone over well with her boss the last time she'd done it, so she was stuck with him.

"Hm, that explains it. I come here every now and then, so I was wondering if I somehow missed you."

_Ugh, Jeff, please get here and chase this creep off before I lose it. I'm going to be crazier than you are if I have to put up with him for another two minutes._

She smiled and nodded, then glanced out the window, somewhat hopefully, before quickly returning her eyes to the customer, though he followed her line of sight for a moment.

"Waiting for someone?"

_Yes! I can finally get rid of him!_

"Oh, my boyfriend stops by every now and then." She shrugged, smiling sweetly and noticing with satisfaction that his lips twitched downwards momentarily before curling back up.

"Ah. Must be one heck of a guy to have you." His free hand began sliding towards the one Jakara had on the counter, but she noticed and scratched the back of her neck with it so he couldn't touch her, chuckling softly more at how frustrated he was getting than because of her nerves.

"He's definitely one of a kind."

_'One of a kind', get over here! Please, I'd even take L.J. at this point!_ She almost face-palmed at how desperate she was getting.

_Definitely not used to being hit on._

Her other hand began slipping under the counter to reach for her phone to send a text, but then she remembered Jeff didn't have a cell phone and Jacy was in the middle of work.

_Crap, we should have contingency plans. Jeff, I regret joking about this. There, I said it. Now karma can drag your butt over here!_

"Y'know, so am I." That was about it.

"I'm sure you are. Well, if you'll excuse me, there are other customers, so I need to get back to work." Without waiting for an answer, Jakara hurried to where a man had walked in with a look she'd grown adept at noticing.

The look of confusion and preparation that people who didn't know their way around the store had. Oh, how she loved that look right about then.

* * *

The moment she was out of the store and on her way home, Jakara yanked her hood up and sighed. Her hands rested in the large central pocket of her sweater, assuring her that the knives she always had were there and calming down as she rubbed a finger against the cool metal.

Even without weapons, she was confident in her martial arts abilities. However, she still found comfort in the knowledge that for the most part, anything short of a gun wouldn't pose too much of a threat.

"Hey, sweetness. Need someone to walk you home?" A look of everlasting suffering crossed her face as she recognized the voice of the customer who hadn't left her alone for two hours straight and she rolled her eyes before turning to watch him approach.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm alright." She began walking again, but he roughly grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.

"Now, I have been patient, and I think I deserve a little something for being such a gentleman. Really, what could your_ 'boyfriend'_ have that I don't?" Before she could react, a white-sleeved arm shoved the blond away and Jeff stood between him and Jakara with a look that spelled murder.

"A knife and a temper. Get lost," the killer growled. The older male straightened and glared, pulling out a pocket knife and flipping it out as a cocky smirk crossed his face, though it dissipated into anger as both the teenagers burst into laughter.

"Wh-what _is_ that, a bobby pin?" Jeff's question only got the other guy angrier and he took a threatening step forward, but stopped when the girl slipped in front of her boyfriend and pointed at his weapon.

"_That_ is not a knife. _This_ is a knife." And she slowly drew out one of her blades in her usual reverse-hold style. "And now that we aren't in the shop, I don't have to put up with your pitiful attempts at flirting. I'm not interested, I'm not single, I'm not expecting to see you again. Am. I. Clear?"

Jeff couldn't help but grin at her expression and tone, wrapping his free arm around her shoulders. "I knew there was a reason I loved you."

"Hm, and you're trying to rub it in, aren't you?" She glanced at him with a smirk and his smile somehow got wider.

"Maybe." Then he looked up at the blond man, who was glaring with both frustration and disgust. "And I'd do as she says if I were you. Jackie here ain't the violent type, but I am, and I can get _very_ jealous." With a grumble, the older male turned and began walking away.

Jakara sighed, putting away her knife and relaxing enough to lean against Jeff's chest. He wrapped his arms around her, one over her shoulders and the other her waist, and held tightly as a glare darkened his features.

Without his knowledge, the killer's hold constricted as his anger grew until she finally had to tug against his arms and ask to be let go.

"Sorry…" He rubbed the back of his neck, but she just threw an arm around his neck and began walking back towards home, dragging him with her, then stiffening as he scooped her up bridal-style with a smirk.

"If you drop me, you're sleeping on the couch," she warned, but couldn't help a wide grin as she held him tighter.

"Just shut up and stay still," he ordered playfully before starting to run.

* * *

Jakara's eyes snapped open when she felt the bed jolt and she realized Jeff was shaking. His heavy breaths filled the room, and her hand found his palms were sweaty when she reached to hold one. The killer froze at the contact and slowly pulled off his sleeping mask.

Turning, he saw the girl staring at him with large, concerned eyes and flushed out of embarrassment and anger that she was seeing him so vulnerable. He harshly yanked his hand away and rolled so his back was facing her, then just made an irritable, incoherent grumble when her hand touched his shoulder.

"You okay?" He grit his teeth at the question and clenched his fists tightly.

"Yeah, fine." The brunette frowned at his harsh tone and wondered what to do. He obviously wasn't in the mood for coddling, but she couldn't ignore how haunted he'd looked and didn't really know what to do.

"Talk about it?" She hadn't really planned on saying that and face-palmed, knowing it was basically the forbidden question when it came to nightmares and sure it would piss Jeff off. So she was surprised when he sighed and sat up, which she also did.

He leaned against the wall and looked up before glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

"I had parents and a sibling, too, a few years ago." He chuckled softly, but not in the way he usually did when he was teasing Jakara. This was far wilder and she shifted slightly, unnerved at his sudden change. "Let's just say there was an accident involving vodka, bleach, and a lighter. That's why I'm…" He gestured at his face and the girl nodded. "Well, I was already a little crazy at the time, what with the sudden, strong sadistic urges and how much I got off on other people's pain. Anyways," he began laughing again and his friend tensed, wondering if she should get away from him.

_My knives are under my pillow…but I can't overpower him. He's stronger than me…_

"I-I loved my new face! Heck, it was _perfect!_ I couldn't stop smiling!" His ecstatic voice dropped. "But smiling got hard, and I couldn't keep it up after a while." The laughter came again, bubbling and making his voice high-pitched and grating in a way that made him sound truly insane. "So I carved one in, so I could smile forever! I didn't want to stop looking at myself. At my beautiful new face. But I got tired and my eyes wouldn't stay open, so…hehehee, I burned off my eyelids. That way I could always see." He cackled, shoving his fingers in the hair over his eyes and the howls continued until Jakara hugged him tightly, half because she wanted to calm him down and also because she was scared and wanted to get him back to normal.

_You must've been through hell to become like this,_ she thought sadly.

"Mom found me. Lied and tried getting dad to kill me." He laughed again. "She lied and I made sure she couldn't lie again! Her and dad both! Then I went to my brother's room. Heh, he didn't like my new face. He hated it, so I told him to go to sleep." The chortling increased again, sounding more psychotic and insane than anything the girl had ever heard before.

Chills ran down her spine and she shivered as she realized what his words implied. Jeff had killed them. Jeff had killed every single member of his family and succumbed to his sadistic urges completely.

"Do you think I'm beautiful?"

_Crap, if I don't answer this right, he might snap and kill me. _

"You're prettier than I am."

"Are you lying?" He pulled away and looked at her with his eyes stretched wide, grinning as though he was envisioning causing her unimaginable pain.

"Would you even believe me if I said 'no'? And you know I'm not the type to lie and suck up to you."

"You might be trying to save your own skin."

"Again; think about the last six months and tell me that's what I'd do." With yet another maniacal cackle, he shoved Jakara out of bed, causing her to land painfully on her hand which still wasn't quite healed.

Jeff hopped down next to her and shoved the girl against the wall. Hard. She winced and became completely winded when his fist drove into her stomach while his free hand clutched her shoulder tightly.

"J-Jeff, calm down. This isn't you," the brunette wheezed.

"Oh," he laughed once more, "but it is, Jackie. You forgot that my name is Jeff the _Killer_. I'm a crazy murderer and you made the mistake of falling for me." The basement lights clicked on, distracting the boy long enough for his girlfriend to wrestle him down and giving her the chance to pin his arms with her legs.

"Kara, what—Jakara! Are you okay?" Jacy opened the door and took in the scene with wide eyes.

"Jacy, go back upstairs."

"What? No! What's going on?"

"JACY! GO. UP. STAIRS," Jakara thundered commandingly, looking at her sister with hard eyes before her attention was ripped back to Jeff, who kneed her in the back and managed to wriggle free.

"B-But—"

"I'll call if I need you and I'll be up later."

"What happened?"

"Jeff's insanity took control. Just go upstairs, I'll calm him down."

"Calm?! Hahaheheheee, I'M COMPLETELY CALM!" The killer charged his girlfriend and swung a punch at her face. She saw it coming, knew she could block it, but she had already pieced together that his insanity was like anger. If you don't vent it when it's there and suppress it, it'll just explode later. So she took the hit and fell back with an 'oof'.

"Jak—"

"JACY, GO. I won't let him kill me."

"BUT HE'S HURTING YOU!"

"I know! I kinda feel the bruises. But if he doesn't let it out now, he's just gonna be worse later." So her sister reluctantly retreated, glancing over her shoulder.

"Worse? Haha, I FEEL PERFECT RIGHT NOW!" Jeff scrambled and lunged with another punch, but this time, she used her forearms to block it, though it still hurt way more than she thought it would.

After letting him knock her around a little longer, Jakara finally decided she had to subdue him while she still had strength left or he may actually manage to kill her.

_At least his mind is too scattered to remember the knives under my pillow._

The next time her friend attacked, the girl flipped him and slammed him down as hard as she could on the floor, knocking all the air out of his lungs and giving her ample time to pin him again, though this time with the way half his legs were positioned under the bed, he couldn't hit her so hard from behind again.

"Hehe, LIARS! LIARS!" She flinched at the completely insane howl. "Aren't I beautiful? HUH?! AREN'T I?! Don't worry, I'LL MAKE YOU ALL BEAUTIFUL, TOO! HAHAHA!" As he struggled and laughed, Jakara finally caught a glimpse of what she never expected in Jeff.

He was completely crazy like a rabid wolf, whipping his oily, thick hair back and forth and thrashing, and also had a terrifying look on his face. But despite that, all she could think of was how long he had to live like this and how much suffering he must be experiencing.

Tears filled her eyes, threatening to overflow, and she couldn't help but lean over and hug around his neck, though that only caused him to head-butt her and she drew away, finally getting up the nerves to knock him out before dragging him into bed and taking the knife out of his hoodie, as well as her own blades.

She stumbled upstairs, finally feeling every ache and pain she'd accumulated throughout the fight. Jacy, waiting at the top, bombarded her sister with questions, but the younger girl just placed the knives in the kitchen before collapsing into her startled sibling's arms and began to bawl.

"Jacy, h-h-he's in so much pain! He's hurting so much and…" She was led to the couch, where they sat down. "And I hurt him, t-to. I had to and…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…"

* * *

Jeff slowly shuffled up the stairs, aching and limping, though more worried about what had happened last night than anything. His knife was gone, as were Jakara's, and that scared him somewhat.

Finally, at the top, he was stopped by Jacy, who had her arms crossed and a knife in one hand.

"You know, my baby sister is head-over-heels in love with you. Last night she was crying into my arms because she felt so bad for hurting you. Do you know how badly you hurt her?" He slowly shook his head, dreading to hear the answer. "There are bruises all over her arms, on her shoulder, on her back, her stomach…even her legs are marked up!" He flinched at her words.

"On a scale of one to ten, how insane was I?"

"Twelve. Is this the first time you've hit her? Or did you knock her around before, too?"

"N-no! I didn't—I didn't want to hurt her…" He looked down guiltily, still pinned by the girl's hard stare.

"Well, you did. Will it happen again?"

"I don't know." His voice trailed off softly and just as Jacy was ready to kick him out of the house, the sound of gentle sobbing from the living room drew their attention and they hurried to the door, finding Jakara curled up with her arms wrapped around her head.

Jeff tried to move towards her, but his friend's sister yanked him back sharply with a glare before she went to the younger girl.

"Kara? Hey, you alright?" She gently placed her hand on her sibling's shoulder.

"Is Jeff okay?" The killer, still hovering at the doorway, flinched at hearing the question and wondered if he even could face his girlfriend after what he did to her. His eyes caught on her arms and they widened as he took a step back. Bluish purple blotches covered her forearms, and since she wore shorts as well as a tank-top, he could see the dark spots dotting her legs here and there.

No, he definitely didn't think he could even keep looking at her.

"You're crazy, worrying about him, you know that?"

"Jace, I'm really not in the mood for a lecture on my messed up mind. Please just…answer the question." Sighing, the woman looked at Jeff, who'd averted his eyes and looked down crestfallen with his hands in his pockets.

"Are you going to hurt her?" He cringed, but shook his head. "Then come over here and get my little sister to stop crying." But he couldn't move. He wanted to comfort Jakara, but the crushing weight of what he did anchored him in place. "Look, you coward, you hurt her enough already. Don't you at least have the guts to come over here and apologize?" Instead of flaring up like he usually would at such a jab, his shoulders hunched until his chin pressed against his chest.

"No, I don't think I do." Jacy marched up to him, grabbed the boy, and practically dragged him to where her sister had become completely still, shoving him the last couple feet before crossing her arms.

Finally looking at his friend, Jeff's eyes widened. She looked even worse up close, and he could make out a bruise on her left cheek. Just as he opened his mouth to say sorry, she grabbed him and hugged tightly, burying her face in his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry…" He could feel the bruises on his back and his head ached, but those seemed so insignificant compared to her own injuries.

"H-how can you say that? After what I—I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…I'm sorry." His voice became hoarse and broke, but not in the crazy way it had last night. He was shaking and struggling to hold in his own tears of guilt.

"No, you didn't have control. It wasn't your fault."

"How can you forgive so easily," he whispered. He felt her lips brush against his ear and warm breath caress his neck.

"Because I love you."

* * *

_A.N. ~ the feeeels! Or not. Heck, I don't know, you tell me.  
_


	12. Violent Diplomacy

Jeff and Jakara had fallen asleep in each other's arms, and Jacy, reluctantly convinced that the boy wouldn't hurt her sister, made a few phone calls and breakfast before leaving for work.

It took a while for either teenager to stir, but Jeff came to first and the feeling of guilt continued to plague his mind, despite knowing he'd been completely forgiven. He was lying on his side, holding the girl, who was pressed against him and still sleeping peacefully.

He noticed a large, dark purple blotch on her left shoulder and gulped, realizing he'd been the cause. But still, she had been in no condition to convincingly lie, so he knew she'd been telling the truth when she said she forgave him. Or at least, hopefully suspected it.

It took almost half an hour until the brunette finally woke up, but when she did she simply snuggled against him more and mumbled a 'good morning'.

"Morning…" she sighed upon hearing his uncertain tone and sat up.

"Jeff, I don't blame you. I'm not angry." He just stared at her wistfully, as though he couldn't quite bring himself to believe her despite wanting desperately to. Sighing once more, she stood and stretched. "I _am_ hungry, though. Come on, I can smell pancakes. Jacy probably left some in the fridge."

Her eyes fell on a note, and picking it up, she smiled before placing it back on the counter and opening the fridge to pull out a plate stacked with several large pancakes in saran wrap.

"Cold pancakes, huh?" She jumped slightly at his voice, but then turned and smiled.

"Yep. There's a trick to this, though. Hope you like chocolate." She crouched in front of one cupboard and pulled out a bag of chocolate chips before grabbing a thick glass container made for heat, pouring a sizeable amount in and earning a tilted head from Jeff, though he himself grinned as she put it in the microwave and realized what she was planning.

"Good idea. You're a genius when it comes to food, you know that?"

"Yes I do. So, six pancakes. Three each?" He nodded and she pulled out a dinner plate, handing it to him before splitting the food.

* * *

"Don't you have work today?" Jeff drew Jakara's attention away from the last bit of her pancake and she paused.

"Jacy's note said she called my boss and said I was sick, so I have the day off. I haven't missed a day until now, so it shouldn't be a problem. Anything you wanna do?"

"I could treat you to ice cream as an 'I'm sorry'."

"Chocolate pancakes and ice cream, huh?"

"I'll let you beat me up for a work out later?"

"Eh, I'll just practice some fancy martial art thing or another. Ice cream sounds pretty good." She bumped against him affectionately, then jerked when he kissed her nose, blinking at scowling slightly at his smirk.

"There was chocolate on your nose. It would've been a waste to leave it there." A sly smile stretched the girl's cheeks and she pecked his cheek quickly before drawing back, practically prancing back to the kitchen.

"You had some chocolate on your face. I couldn't resist!"

"Mm, getting bolder, are we?"

"I stopped hiding. Almost done moping."

* * *

Jeff stopped at the entrance to an alleyway, sticking out an arm to halt Jakara's progress as his sort of developed danger sensor went off. The shadows seemed too lively and the wind whispered too loudly.

"Whoever is hiding in there, come out now," he called. The girl's eyes narrowed and her left hand slipped into her pocket to grip the handle of a knife nervously. Her right (and good) hand was still out of action, so she was somewhat uncomfortable, and even more so when she saw the pushy customer from the day before walking into view.

Silhouettes of others flickered behind him and she tensed even more, nudging Jeff with her elbow.

"We should run."

"I should just kill this—"

"In front of all his friends? Jeff, I can't fight that well with a broken hand slowing me down and we can't take on that many people."

"Clearly you've somehow forgotten who I am. Give me your extra knife." She reluctantly obeyed and pulled her own completely into view before returning her attention to the blond man, who was smirking.

"I thought I told you to get lost."

"I'm not too worried, _Jackie._ You aren't the violent type, remember? Oh, and the name's Dirk, if you were wondering."

"I wasn't, and I'm not _usually_ the violent type. I'm not above hurting others for self-defense. So are you gonna take the oh-so-inconceivable hint that I'm not interested in you and let us walk away or is this gonna get bloody?"

"Really, what do you see in that guy? Dresses weird, got a face from a nightmare…"

"And you have your _charming_ personality, right?" Jakara rolled her eyes, almost feeling too sarcastic for herself. "And if you think wearing a hoodie is weird you should probably look at what I have on right now. As for the face…" She quickly glanced at Jeff, who was staring at her, and smirked. "I think you got yourselves mixed up."

The blond chuckled and her smile vanished. It was _that_ laugh. Not quite on the same level, but she knew it was the same laugh as Jeff's – an insane one.

"Jeff," she hissed.

"I know." They turned to bolt, but stopped short as they nearly collided with a couple of very large, well-muscled young men who blocked the escape. Not that the two cared. The couple dove apart, attempting to dodge around them and almost getting away…until one of the strangers managed to catch the hood of Jeff's sweater.

Jakara skidded to a halt and beelined for him, ignoring his orders for her to run, but she was tackled by the other man and fell with a huff of pain and surprise. She drew back her knife in preparation to plunge it into his shoulder, but another hand grabbed her wrist and she twisted to see Dirk.

"Ah, ah, ahh. Play nice, sweetheart." She spat in his face and tried getting free, inwardly cursing her damaged arm. If it were only healed... A pained cry from the one who'd grabbed Jeff drew their attention to where the killer had slashed his way free.

The waiting, hidden people suddenly surged forward and there was a continuous struggle between Jakara, Jeff, and multiple people, but ultimately, they were outnumbered and overwhelmed, resulting in both teenagers being pinned with little hope of escape and completely disarmed.

The girl's mind flashed to one of the moves she'd taken special care to memorize – the one enabling her to roll someone on top of her when she was on her stomach – and sucked in a steadying breath. This was going to _hurt_.

She couldn't help but lose a cry of pain as she pulled it off, grimacing at her aches and the agony of her broken hand being moved in a way it definitely shouldn't, but thankfully she managed to get free and swiftly, somewhat brutally took down the nearest man who was holding a knife, relieved when her fingers closed around the blade's handle.

She pivoted to avoid another attack and quickly got her back to the wall, preparing for a fight and hardening her gaze when multiple people began approaching. However, she completely froze when Dirk held his pocket knife against Jeff's throat, chuckling maniacally again.

"This might be a bobby pin compared to your big shiny kitchen knives, but it's more than enough to send this wretch here to the grave, don't you agree?"

"If you kill him, I'll be sure to kill you, too." Several of the strangers rushed her and the girl slashed the first's hand before kicking his face, then spinning to shove another against the wall, sharply jabbing her knife as hard as she could into his shoulder before simply backhanding the last over his temple. When a fourth came, she grabbed his arm and wrenched it behind his back before holding her blade lightly against his neck. "See, even if I'm not particularly fond of bloodshed, I happen to be a natural at wielding blades. In fact, I'm not even left-handed. Now let us leave, and you get your boy back unharmed."

"Heheh, you won't kill him."

"Just curious, but you guys all know how crazy blondie here is, right? Trust me, I _know_ what an insane psychopath sounds like. He's pretty much there."

"Ouch," Jeff mumbled with a wince.

"Oh, be quiet. You admitted to it yourself."

"Enough talking! Your little nightmare here is painted in his own blood in exactly three seconds unless you throw that knife away." Humming contemplatively, Jakara smirked before whipping her arm hard and fast, sending it straight into the hand holding the small pocket knife and startling the one holding Jeff long enough for him to struggle free and grab the weapons.

It was a short, vicious, bloody fight afterwards, mostly spent in a blur with the girl unable to see anything except for the next opponent until finally there was an opening that allowed her and the killer to flee with all their knives stolen back.

It was nearly ten minutes before they finally collapsed side by side in another alleyway, panting and shaking from pain and exhaustion. Then Jeff began laughing in the crazy way he did the night before, and Jakara sighed miserably. This was going to be a _long_ day.

After a few minutes spent with her friend continuously chuckling and rolling back and forth, he finally froze and curled into the fetal position, clutching his head and shivering. She nearly went over to touch him, but stopped herself and silently groaned.

If he snapped and attacked her again – with a knife he was most likely conscious of no less – she in her current state wouldn't be able to hold him off. So she waited as his trembling breath filled the alley, and began noticing how much blood was staining both of them. Heck, her hands and forearms were coated in the stuff, and her entire body was splattered here and there.

Fear began rising inside her when she replayed the fight over and over without the capability to determine whether she'd fatally wounded anyone or not. Her whispered praying caught in Jeff's ears and he began focusing on that, hoping to somehow distract himself from and therefore suppress the swelling tide of insanity in his mind.

He eventually managed to get it under a thin barrier of control and dragged himself into a kneel, head bowed so his face was obscured by thick locks of hair.

Seeing his defeated body language blanked out all caution from Jakara's mind and she painfully shuffled next to him, then gasped slightly when he leaned against her, still not looking up, just taking in shaky inhalations and releasing fast, loud exhalations. She wrapped her left arm around his back when she felt cold, wet droplets slipping into the area around the collar of her hoodie where it didn't cover her sternum.

"I almost did it again. I almost _freakin'_ did it again." The girl needed a few long seconds to take an educated guess and assume he meant trying to hurt her.

"'Almost' means you didn't. You can still control yourself when you really want to, and you didn't, so it's alright," she murmured, resting her head on top of his as her own tears slid down her face.

_Freak, what did he _do_ to me? I barely ever cried freely when I was completely alone and here I am weeping like a newborn baby. I guess I hurt the most when those I love are in pain…_

Little did they know, just around a nearby corner, hidden in shadows was one of Dirk's gang. The blond had ordered them to spread out and find the pair, and he had. But this subordinate was frozen in place as he watched the two comforting each other.

He hadn't been in agreement with what Dirk was doing in the first place, thus why he wasn't injured due to his lack of attempts at fighting, and seeing the teenagers like this was just about the final straw for him. He'd feared leaving the group, because just as Jakara said, their leader was a psychopath, but he was starting to feel more assured now that most of the members were injured and a few incapacitated. Everyone was spread thin. Slipping away would be easy now. So he did.

* * *

Jeff woke up in a good deal of pain, feeling dull aches all over his body, as though every single inch of him was cramping up, and after pulling off his mask, Jakara's clenched teeth and uncomfortable look suggested she was no better.

The day before, they had managed to get back home, and then spent the rest of the time nursing their wounds with ice and just remaining mostly stationary, though the girl had dutifully prepared dinner. With his help, of course.

Now he winced as he rolled his shoulders before lightly touching her cheek. She looked at him tiredly before glancing at the light coming from the window with a groan.

"Gotta get ready for work." He stared and sat up with her, catching her wrist as she tried standing.

"You're kidding, right? You probably can't even lift your arms over your head right now and Dirk is still out there with his little band of merry men."

"Look, I don't really remember much of the fighting, but judging on the amount of blood we were covered in, I'm taking a wild guess here and saying they're gonna be out of action for a little while. Dirk can't be stupid enough to try going after me alone after seeing what we can do. Besides, I don't want to miss another day." He growled in frustration as she stiffly collected her change of clothes from the closet.

The brunette left to get changed in the bathroom, leaving him to look idly at his white, red-marked hoodie. Neither of them had had the energy to do extra work like laundry, so they'd just thrown all their clothes into a pile in one corner of the room on top of a few old newspapers before changing…though he felt weird, wearing Jakara's clothing. The shoulders were a bit too tight, though the pants fit well enough since they were basically the same size.

Soon she came back in and picked out a baggy black hoodie with strings hanging down the front, though he couldn't miss the slight, sharp gasp as she lifted her arms to pull it over her head, nor the momentary flash of pain once it was on.

"Well, like it or not, I'm coming along today. No way you're going out alone like this."

"Okay, but you're wearing one of my hoodies then. You are _not_ coming to work covered in blood." He grumbled something, but caught a light grey mass of fabric that flew at him and finally nodded before grimacing as he dragged it over his head.

Once they'd grabbed their knives (which they _had_ found time to clean), they stumbled upstairs to where Jacy was already gulping down a bowl of cereal.

"You two look like crap. What happened?" The night before, dinner had been left in the turned-off oven after the two had taken their shares and a note stating that they'd gone to sleep early was left in view, so this was the first time since the fight that the woman had seen them.

"Let's just say we applied violent diplomacy to a few idiots and it wasn't pleasant," her sister mumbled, leaning over on top of the counter and resting her head on her crossed arms. Jeff ran a hand over her back as he passed by before finding two bowls and searching for the cereal box.

Once he'd prepared the food he gently guided Jakara to the table before retrieving the bowls and placing one in front of her.

"Either my pain tolerance sucks or yours is really high," she murmured, glancing at Jeff before slowly, somewhat awkwardly scooping up a bite. Using the wrong hand for everything felt so…well, _wrong_.

"Or both. But you were already pretty sore, so you've taken more punishment."

"Kara, you're still going to work or want me to call your boss and say you're still pretty shaky?"

"Thanks, but I'll be alright. I'd rather move around a bit than stay cooped up here all day, anyways." Jacy finished with her food and swiftly headed to the sink to rinse out the bowl.

"Want me to give you a ride, then?"

"Nah, then you'd be late. It's alright." With a nod and quick 'goodbye', the blond hurried out the door, leaving the teenagers to finish breakfast before packing lunch.

* * *

_A.N. ~ I apologize to anyone who reads this whose name is Dirk. I meant no offense! (Hate the character, not the name! Please don't kill me!)  
_


	13. Insanity's Confusion

Thankfully, Jakara was right, and Dirk didn't show up, though walking to and from work was uncomfortable, to say the least. Once they got back home, she and Jeff practically collapsed on the living room couch, leaning tiredly against each other with nothing to do or say. There were leftovers, so they just needed to heat those up and dinner would be ready.

It didn't take long for the girl to fall asleep, still leaning against Jeff, who carefully held her while leaning back to lie down. He pulled the hood of his borrowed sweater down to cover his eyes before also drifting off.

Well, he was asleep for about two minutes before something cracking against the door rang out and startled him to his feet.

"Nngh, Jeff?" Jakara blinked slowly, looking up at him and just being signalled to stay quiet and stay put as he crept towards the front door, knife in hand. He stopped once he was there, silently gripping the handle before tearing it open and looking around, only to stop upon seeing the rock with a note tied to it. He grabbed the paper before kicking away the rock and retreating back inside.

Sitting down next to the brunette, he opened it up and read it over a couple times before scowling irritably.

"It's from L.J. Says he wants to stop by for dinner."

"But of _course_ he does." They shared a sigh, tossing away the note before going back to the couch. "Think he's gonna come whether we like it or not?"

"Do I even need to answer that?"

"Kk, no."

* * *

Laughing Jack energetically threw an arm over Jakara's neck in greeting, though was promptly escaped as she winced. She _definitely_ didn't feel like roughhousing. He noticed her bruised arms and face and squawked, hugging her tightly and getting shoved off yet again.

"What happened? Are you okay? Jeff, what happened to your girlfriend?"

"What's gonna happen to you if you don't stop grabbing and hurting me," she muttered, massaging a sore spot slowly before hurrying into the kitchen to get the leftovers out.

"What's going on?" They all turned to see Jacy, who was face-palming in the doorway.

"Sorry. He invited himself," Jakara explained, returning to her previous task and surprised when arguing didn't break out. Glancing up, she smirked upon seeing the dubious looks her sister and the monochrome killer were giving each other. Jeff suddenly shoved both their faces together and snickered while all three other people stared at him.

"Jeff!" Both girls howled.

"What? I can't take revenge?"

"Revenge? Hah, that was a favor, Jeffy!" L.J. cackled, grinning widely. Jakara snuck up behind Jeff before whacking the back of his head, crossing her arms when he looked at her.

"Don't make my sister kiss somebody like that. You know what it's like to have it done to you." She glared at his chuckle.

"Worked out for us, didn't it?"

"What?" Jacy's face dropped into a scowl and the two retreated into the kitchen to busy themselves with dinner while L.J. explained.

* * *

Jakara's arms habitually wrapped around Jeff when she was pulled from her slumber by his violent awakening.

"Mm, you okay?" He didn't reply, just panted in that trembling way she'd come to recognize as a sign that he was fighting back insanity. She propped herself up and began stroking the side of his face, wondering if she'd made the wrong decision when he tensed, but her hand didn't stop and he soon relaxed again.

"I'll swim and sail on savage seas, with ne'er a fear of drowning." She blinked as her voice softly sung one of the songs she'd come to love. "And gladly ride the waves of life, if you would marry me. No scorching sun nor freezing cold will stop me on my journey. If you will promise me your heart, and love me for eternity." She continued softly singing and rubbing soothingly until his breathing leveled out.

By the end of the song, she could guess by the rise and fall of his chest that he was asleep again and she lay back down, an arm sliding across his torso as her head rested on his shoulder.

* * *

Jakara woke up and almost instantly noticed that Jeff was gone. His spot was cold, too, so he must have been gone for at least a little while. Frowning, she got up and threw on her hoodie before heading upstairs, finding Jacy about to leave the house.

"Hey, have you seen Jeff," the brunette murmured.

"No, why?"

"Ah, he just wasn't downstairs when I woke up. Probably out doing something…" She shrugged, but really, she was pretty concerned. Jeff had been on red alert ever since Dirk's gang had jumped them and wasn't likely to leave her alone, especially since he knew she'd be walking to work. Not to mention the likeliness of him going out to kill was low since he preferred doing that at night.

_Maybe he just needed some air? His insanity's been causing trouble a lot…_ with another shrug, she got breakfast while pondering where he might be and what he was doing.

* * *

_Four days. Four days is way too long. He can't be hurt, right? He's not been back, though…_ Jakara sighed before grabbing her backpack and filling a few water bottles, drawing Jacy's attention.

"Where are you going?"

"Looking for Jeff."

"Do you think that's necessary?"

"Normally I wouldn't be worried, but his insanity's been getting harder to control and there are people out there with a score we still haven't settled." With the water ready, she awkwardly pulled on a black hoodie and put her favorite two knives in its pocket before grabbing a pack of crackers and a few energy bars.

"I better come with you, then."

"No, they don't know who you are or what you look like and I'm not putting a huge bulls' eye on your back. And frankly, if Jeff's lost it, having somebody who doesn't get along with him well nearby isn't a good idea."

"But you two _do_ get along and the last time he went crazy, he beat the crap out of you! What about now when you're still not fully recovered?"

"I'm not so bad now and my hand is getting a bit better. And he didn't beat the crap out of me, I let him knock me around."

"Wh-what? Why?!"

"Theory. I think his insanity is like anger. You know what happens when you suppress anger as long as you can?" She began walking towards the door, yanking on socks and her black sneakers while her sister followed, mumbling an affirmative. "Well, I let him vent as long as I could before it was either putting him temporarily to sleep or going permanently to sleep myself."

"Alright, text me every twenty minutes, though, okay? Or at least let me drive you!"

"No, I'm not letting you become a target. Stay here, I'll text you, I won't be back for a while. Don't worry." Jacy lost a slightly hysterical laugh, crossing her arms and looking down with a sad smile.

"And here I thought I was the big sister. You be safe, alright?" Jakara hopped up, quickly hugging the woman before nodding and heading out.

* * *

It had taken three nights for Jakara to search most of the hideouts she and Jeff had ever been to, and she was extremely thankful that she'd trained her body to run on minimum sleep since she rarely got more than four hours each night.

Now she'd reached the abandoned factory; the last place they'd been and her last hope. It was still early – only around six in the evening – so she rested a little ways into the entrance while eating before starting her search on silent feet.

She wanted to find Jeff before he found her to gauge his mental state, and in case he was trying to avoid her, but that was easier said than done in such a massive building with so many twists, turns, and hiding places.

The girl, after an initial sweep of the place that took an hour and a half, went to where she'd gone after the kiss Laughing Jack had forced them into, sitting down in the same corner and looking ruefully at the dent where her fist had made contact.

With a sigh, she sent a text to Jacy saying she was taking a nap before leaning back with her left hand in her pocket, gripping the handle of a knife tightly.

* * *

JEFF'S P.O.V.

I watched Jakara as she sighed and lay down. She looked pretty crestfallen and tired, adding to my guilt. I knew her exhaustion was probably because I'd left and she came looking for me.

Heck, I didn't want to even _be_ here, but it was just too dangerous. I came too close to killing her three times already, and I had no idea when the sadistic, insane beast inside of me would try taking control again. So I have to stay away.

Footsteps echoing behind me drew my attention to where somebody was approaching and I quickly moved so they couldn't see me.

In a few moments, Dirk came strolling in with a smile on his face that made me want to kill him. I wanted to rip him apart and decimate every single fiber of his being and never stop smashing him to pieces.

He wandered over to Jakara and I grabbed my knife, preparing to attack but freezing in place when he gently moved her after sitting down so she was leaning against him.

"Nn, Jeff?" Her soft, slightly hopeful voice reached my ears and her fingers tightened around the fabric of Dirk's loose white T-shirt. I tried moving towards them, to shout and get that cocky jerk away from my girlfriend, but anger, guilt, and uncertainty kept me completely still, as though I'd been encased in stone.

Jakara's eyes opened slightly and she smiled, but then a confused frown covered her face as her hand pressed against the blonde's chest, and realization crossed her face. I could imagine what she was thinking: 'this isn't Jeff. What the heck?'

Anger and shock flashed through her expression when she looked into Dirk's smirking face. She tried standing up, but he grabbed her right wrist and sharply pulled back so she landed _hard_ on her back against the metal floor.

The pain and desperation I could see in her eyes seemed to send an electric jolt through my system and I took a step, though I stopped when, as Dirk leaned down to do…I don't even want to think what…she kicked his stomach with obviously as much force as she could muster before shooting to her feet and drawing her own knife. The knife she'd claimed was her absolute favorite. The knife I'd given her as a birthday present.

But I could tell Jakara was still in pain from when I'd beaten her and her right hand was still broken, and clearly she was thrown too off-balance by the sudden awakening to use martial arts, so Dirk wrestled away the knife quickly before punching her in the gut.

That finally snapped me and I charged forward, dragging the older male by the back of his collar and tossing him as hard as I could so he landed with a loud bang. I darted forward and straddled him while drawing my knife back.

"GO." I ripped it diagonally from his right shoulder to left hip. "TO." Then I did the opposite. "SLEEP!" And with that the blade sliced deep and clean through his neck from one side to the other, so far that the tip nicked against his spine.

* * *

NORMAL P.O.V.

Jakara's wide eyes took in the bloody mess and Jeff's panting form. She'd seen the entire thing, though it was too fast and disorienting for her to make sense of it for a few seconds, so her mind instead replayed things from the beginning of the chaos as it always did when she was confused like that.

She'd woken up when she was moved to rest against a warm chest. She was accustomed to that position, but something seemed off. The white of Jeff's sweater was too pure, and the material was thinner and finer than what he usually wore.

Her hand pressed against a chest too toned and with too much meat on it to be Jeff's. The killer's upper body was well muscled, but he was still skinny and somewhat bony. So she drew back to find herself practically nose-to-nose with Dirk.

She tried standing and suddenly was lying on the floor in pain and winded, but kicked him as hard as she could when he started moving in again and got to her feet. Then everything was a blur after that.

Jeff shifting drew the girl back to the present and she watched as he dragged himself off the body, coated in blood and, as she could tell, struggling to hold in his inner killer. He then dropped the knife and tottered towards her before collapsing onto his knees, shaking and covered in red.

She took a chance and opened her arms, catching him as he practically fell against her, still trembling.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I had to leave. I-I-I was going crazy, and I already hurt you so much…" He sniffed and chuckled softly – finally in the way Jakara knew wasn't threatening, but more out of amusement at his own expense. "I don't know what you've done to mess me up, but I've really turned into a crybaby."

"I'll tell you two secrets, 'kay?" He nodded and the girl began stroking his head gently. "First, I've cried in the past eight months since I met you more than I have for years, probably since I was little. Second," she rested her chin on the top of his head and her hand moved to the killer's face. "You didn't overpower me when you went insane that night, I let you hit me like that."

"Wh-what?" He moved back to look at her and she smiled kindly, though to him it looked a little sad, too.

"I told Jacy it was because I saw your insanity as something like anger that would explode if it was suppressed. But I really just didn't want you to get hurt." He hugged her again with a shaky chuckle.

"Doing that to you hurt me way more than the headache. Don't be so selfless, alright?" She hummed an 'okay' and continued petting him gently, letting her cheek rest on him and ignoring the warm blood starting to soak her.

* * *

_A.N. ~ the song Jakara was singing to Jeff is 'For The Dancing And The Dreaming', which I do not own. It belongs to its respective owners.  
_


	14. Agonizing Déja Vu

_A.N. ~ hey! Fought my way through Chapter Fourteen, so here it is!_

_Oh, and seven chapters since the painful process of reminding you that I don't own anything from Creepypasta, or pretty much anything except my storyline and ONs. *Elegant hand gesture* Continue. (If you got that reference, I frickin' love you XD)_

_Oh, and WARNING: there are a few mature implications here, so I'm rating this chapter 13+ for safety, so please be careful if you're young and innocent. I DON'T WANNA BE SUED!_

* * *

"Guahh!" Jakara sat up fast with a knife in her hand, looking around wildly before swiftly shoving the weapon back under her pillow when she realized Jeff was the source. He turned so his back was to her, grumbling 'don't even think of being nice right now'.

Raising her eyebrows in an 'okay, you asked for it' way, she roughly grabbed his shoulder and dragged him into her arms, snuggling her face against his neck before leveling out her breathing and trying to sleep.

With a sigh, he felt his irritation disappear like the warmth of each her breaths against his skin and smiled slightly at her reaction to his unfriendly attitude. Nope, it wasn't like she would do something so_ boring_ as leaving him alone, maybe even going to the couch. Who would do such a thing, anyways? No, yanking him over and turning him into her pillow was _definitely_ the perfect way to react.

But his sarcasm faded and he chuckled softly upon realizing how in-character it really was for Jakara and how it actually was possibly the best way to react in that set of circumstances.

_My insane Jackie. I wonder if you know how much you confuse me…  
_

Ever since he'd met her, there was _always_ something Jeff just couldn't understand. First, how she seemed to be unafraid of him and even willing to help at all. Second, how good at combat she was. He could probably go on for an hour listing the instances where she had him at a loss, which both drove him even crazier than he was and intrigued him further.

But he felt his mind begin to cloud over and just placed an arm over her back before drifting into blackness once more.

* * *

"Honestly, you really don't learn, do you?" Jakara's huff only caused Jeff to chuckle as she padded blood off his chest and he smirked.

"Maybe I get hurt so you can treat my wounds later." The girl pressed harder against one of the deeper cuts and he sucked in a breath, then glared as she started smiling.

"Maybe you're an idiot for forgetting I'm not a gentle person and I lack pity for those who intentionally allow themselves to be hurt to get attention." She softened her touch again and finished cleaning up the remaining gashes on her boyfriend's shoulders, then frowned. "By the way, these don't look like knife wounds. What did you do, mess with a lion?"

"Ehhh…" He rubbed the back of his neck somewhat uncertainly. "Well, I don't really know how to classify the thing, but let's just say he's not somebody you want to fight."

"Obviously. I'm surprised you haven't had severe blood loss." She packed up the medical supplies, returning to see him already almost asleep on the couch, though it was hard to tell with his eyelids missing.

Jakara sat next to him and they automatically made each other their pillow.

"Hey, Jeff?"

"Mm?"

"Do you think the guy who hurt you will come here?"

"Maybe, but if he does we'll just kick his butt."

"Some days I wonder if you understand the concept of 'mortality'."

"Nahh."

* * *

"Hey. Hey, Jackie, wake up. Jackie!" Jeff shoved his friend's shoulder and Jakara mumbled something before propping herself up on one arm, rubbing sleep out of her eyes with her free hand.

"Ugh, Jeff, it's not even dawn. What the heck's so important?"

"W-well, I went upstairs to get some water, and I heard your sister making noises in her room. I think she might be hurt."

"And you didn't go check because…?"

"Sh-she's a _girl_! I can't just walk into her room in the middle of the night."

"And you say _I'm_ the one who forgets who you are. How many girls' rooms have you snuck into before?" And yet Jakara was already getting up, grabbing her knives and walking out with the killer.

"Yeah, but they weren't my girlfriend's sister's rooms. Besides, Jacy's scary enough when she's angry, I don't want both of you to be pissed at me over an accident."

"Fair enough. Let's just hurry, though. You _did_ upset someone earlier, right?" He nodded and they picked up their pace, bounding noiselessly up the stairs and sneaking in silent sprints to the door of the woman's room.

"L.J.! B-be gentler, that really hurts!"

"Hehee, sorry princess, I didn't know you were so fragile." Both teenager's faces twisted into horrified masks of surprise, disgust, and some amusement on Jeff's part, though Jakara looked mortified beyond belief as the muffled voices drifted through the wood barrier.

"I-I-I think…oh, crap…" The brunette buried her face in an arm with a blush cooking her cheeks.

"Um…" Jeff snorted slightly, struggling to hold in a laugh. "Maybe we should give them a little privacy?"

"B-but Jacy doesn't…she wouldn't before marrying. I mean, we're…ungh!" The killer chuckled softly and began guiding the poor girl back towards the basement since she still had her eyes covered by the crook of her elbow.

"You gonna be okay, princess?" Jeff couldn't help but grin and begin snickering uncontrollably as she shook her head once they reached their room, finally releasing the laugh he'd suppressed when she shoved his shoulder.

"I-it's not funny! Just…ugh, I'm gonna sleep on the couch." He tilted his head as she left, following curiously.

"What's wrong with the bed?"

"Look, I just don't want to even think of physical contact or mattresses right now. Need to cool off." She flopped onto the couch, placing her knives on the floor below her head and sighing.

"Heh, didn't know you were so fragile, princess."

"_Jeff!_" Her shouted whisper got him cackling again and the killer bid her goodnight before leaving the poor sixteen-year-old to calm down.

* * *

"M-morning," Jakara mumbled to Jacy as she pulled out a bowl for cereal.

"Hey. You look rough. Is sleeping with Jeff gonna be a problem?" For a moment the poor brunette's mind mistook the wording and her eyes widened. A shocked babble was choked in her throat as she registered the proper meaning.

"Nah, just couldn't drift off last night. You feeling okay?"

"Yep, though I could do without this." Jacy pulled up her pant leg to reveal linen bandages wrapped around her shin.

"Whoa, what happened?"

"I went out for a walk last night and had a bit of an accident with gravity. L.J. happened to be nearby, though, so he brought me back here and helped clean the wound." Realization flooded Jakara's mind and she face-palmed so hard she was sure she'd bruised herself while Jeff, who had walked in just in time to hear the explanation, doubled over in laughter.

"What? What's so funny?" The woman frowned, tilting her head as the killer's chuckling spread to her sister, though the younger girl sounded somewhat hysterical, as though she was calming down after a huge scare.

"Nothing, we're just glad you're alright," the brunette grinned, grabbing the cereal with energy she'd previously lacked.

_Dirty minds. Jeff and I apparently have them. And I regret it so much now…_

* * *

"S-so your sister and L.J.—"

"You know what? Just don't. Don't even think about it." Jakara muttered, grumbling to herself as they walked back from where she worked. She'd sunk into a bad mood once the initial relief had worn off, and didn't want the slightest reminder of their previous mistake.

They continued on their way casually, avoiding talking and just going along until they reached the house. A scream had Jakara at the door, swiftly opening it to find her sister in the clutches of…something.

The creature was tall – around eight feet – with pitch black skin, glowing red eyes, massive horns, and what looked like red mouths down its chest, as well as an abnormally wide, large one on its face. One of his clawed hands held Jacy up by her neck and Jakara drew a knife immediately, copied by Jeff a moment before they charged.

The beast hurled the woman against a wall and she fell to the floor bleeding, not breathing, and with her eyes wide open staring blankly ahead, before he turned and swiped at the teenagers.

The brunette was too shocked and emotionally shattered to dodge and Jeff dragged her to the floor with a yell and started to back up, yanking his friend along before fleeing with an arm around her shoulder.

"B-but Jacy is still in there. Wh-wh-what about Jacy?" Her distant murmuring caused him to curse as he realized she was probably in shock.

"Just run. Run fast, got it? JACKIE, RUN!" She looked at him slowly before nodding and beginning to put more effort into speed.

* * *

Jakara sat hugging her knees to her chest with her back to a building, faintly aware of Jeff cussing and pacing like a caged wildcat. He finally shouted a curse one last time before letting out a deep sigh and wandering back to her.

"Hey, are you alright?" She glanced up at him with dull eyes before shaking her head. "Well, we need to go at least ten more miles before the sun sets, and then keep it up as long as possible to get close to safe. Come on." He offered a hand and the girl slowly took it, stumbling to her feet, then matching the light jog the killer set.

They were silent, too busy panting for the most part to attempt conversation and not even wanting to, anyways. But after a while, Jakara slowed down, sweating and sitting next to a tree to catch her breath, still seeming somehow disconnected from the world.

That cycle continued for hours, well after the moon rose and the night progressed until finally Jeff called a halt and decided they'd sleep for a while.

* * *

In the morning, Jakara had come out of it and her fury and grief were finally sharp. Unlike the last time she'd thought her sister dead, all she could think about now was how much she wanted Jacy back and remembering every moment she'd spent with the woman while combating the tearing ache in her heart.

Jeff, who'd remained vigilant all night, noticed her unsteady breaths and tightened his grip around the girl, who simply began crying as she shoved her face into his shoulder.

After a small eternity, her breaths trembled even more as she struggled to calm down before pulling away, wiping away the glittering trails on her cheeks.

"Who was that? That black…_thing_ that killed Jacy?" She didn't know why she could say those words without choking on them, she didn't care. Rage was bubbling through her right then and her fingers slowly curled to make tight fists.

"Zalgo. The lion you don't mess with if you can help it."

"He's the one who hurt you?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry, I never thought he'd go after Jacy. He's the type to go after the one who got him angry and leave everyone else alone…" With a frustrated cry, Jakara stood and hurled a knife as hard as she could at a tree, sending it halfway up the blade into the trunk.

"I'm going to freakin' _kill_ that…" Jeff flinched as a tirade of insults flooded from his girlfriend as she stomped over to the tree and viciously ripped out her knife before growling and jamming it back into her pocket. "So now what? Going back is a death sentence if he can scare you off like that and we don't really have any safe place to stay if he's got a grudge against you…"

"No, there's…one place." The way he awkwardly muttered it got the killer a raised eyebrow.

"And you don't want to go because?"

"Well, let's just say I'm not sure how you'd mix with the others and I _don't_ mix with them, period. But with Zalgo on our backs, I guess being dead or being miserable is obviously what we're choosing between, though it'll take a while to get there by foot."

_Crap, all the money and my knives were back in the city. And we need food and water. Well, I can just break us into a restaurant on the way…_ With a shrug, he stood and began walking, followed closely by Jakara, who'd fallen silent.

* * *

_A.N. ~ ___*Troll face* _so be honest, how many of you guys had dirty minds during that little incident between L.J. and Jacy? Anyways, I kinda have this sense of self-loathing at the moment. Sorry to any of you who are upset. I TOLD YOU NOT TO GET ATTACHED! T-T_

_Oh, and who can guess where they're going?_


	15. Encounters In The Woods

_A.N. ~ hey, so this chapter is shorter than the others, but it has to be that way. Sorry. *Epic voice* THE PLOT REQUIRES IT!_

* * *

It had taken a couple months, long enough for Jakara's hand to be almost completely healed, for the two to get to where they were supposed to be going…wherever that was.

"So, another forest. What's special about this one, rodents of unusual sizes?" The girl had also somewhat recovered from Jacy's death, though it still hurt.

"Sorry, Buttercup, no giant rats, no lightning sand, no sudden spurts of flame from the ground. But someone'll be tracking us pretty soon, so just pretend it's a messed up prince that I have to kill."

"Oh, whatever shall we do? Save me!" She hugged him before releasing with a giggle.

"As you wish," the killer made a flourishing bow with an accent before laughing as well. "Man, I can't even remember the last time I watched that movie."

"Some lines just never die." Movement caught in the girl's eye and she spun on her heel while drawing a knife, seeing an abnormally tall man standing thirteen meters away. He was in a suit, skinny, but the defining feature was that he was bald and had no face or ears, just a couple of indents where his eyes would have been.

"Oh, Slender! I was wondering how long it'd take for you to notice." Jeff waved a hand and his friend glanced at him nervously, then backed up as the faceless creature approached.

"It is alright, child, I mean you no harm." She paused in her tracks, frowning and wondering how he could even talk without a mouth.

"It's fine, Jackie, Slender won't kill ya." Jeff shrugged nonchalantly with his hands in his pocket. Hesitantly, the girl slid her weapon out of sight, though remained tense. That somehow seemed amusing and the tall man chuckled.

"Hello, my name is Slenderman. May I ask yours?"

"J-Jakara. If you want, you can use a nickname." She released a long, soft breath and tried to relax, reminding herself that Jeff was nearby and had promised she'd be okay. Her hand habitually reached for her hood, but the other teenager stopped her gently.

"An interesting name. Jeffery, you would not have come here without reason."

"Zalgo and I aren't on good terms. He killed Jackie's sister and we needed a place to stay."

"I see. Jakara, are you a fellow killer?"

_Ohh, crap. Nope, this is probably gonna cause trouble._ She slowly shook her head.

"No, I don't kill or terrorize people."

"Jeffery?"

"Okay, she's no killer, but she's definitely not sane. For one thing I don't think she's ever been scared of me..." He had a slight pout and the girl couldn't help but smirk.

"Nope, not really. Were you ever _trying_ to scare me?" He growled something under his breath and the smirk fell to laughter.

"Jeff, you may come. However, you know the mansion is only for killers. She cannot stay."

"What? But Zalgo will kill her!" The boy stalked closer to Slenderman, glaring and gritting his teeth.

"That is not any of my concern, and it should not be any of yours." Jakara's footsteps drew their attention as she walked away.

"J-Jackie? Where're you going?" Jeff hurried after her, followed more slowly by the faceless killer.

"I'm not wanted, I'm not staying. Jeff, Zalgo's mad at you, you go where you'll be safe. He's not likely to come after me after all this time. He only saw me for a few seconds. Besides, if he does attack me, I'll just run."

"Don't be an idiot! This is _Zalgo_ we're talking about! He's not human, and even if you manage to outrun him, you can't stay awake forever. Jackie, are you even listening?!" He grabbed her shoulder, but the brunette simply shook him off and pulled up her hood.

"Jeff, just—"

"The boy's right, you know." All three of them froze and fear tingled down Jakara's spine as she turned to see the source of the rumbling voice.

There Zalgo stood, tall and with a wicked grin on his face not twenty feet away. They instantly backed up and he chuckled. The girl drew a knife once more and crouched like a coiled spring, ready to dodge any attacks or go on the offensive at a moment's notice.

"Zalgo, why did you kill Jacy? My sister had nothing to do with any of this." Her steady, rasping voice drifted dangerously through the air.

"She was in the way and wouldn't tell me where that brat was." He pointed a claw at Jeff before swiftly stooping and ripping a large chunk of earth from the ground, sending it flying at them in one smooth motion.

They scattered, but a sharp cry of anger from Jeff caused the girl to look quickly over her shoulder at where Slenderman was holding him with what looked like tentacles and staring (maybe?) at her intently. Realization flashed through her mind and she glared, but nodded.

She had to fight Zalgo, and she had to win, or she didn't stand a chance of being accepted.

Jakara swiftly returned her attention to the creature and narrowly dodged another projectile. Normally they wouldn't be so bad, but since winter was only just starting to end and frost was still all around, the ground was frozen and hard. Chunks of it as large and fast as the ones he was throwing were as good as rocks.

The girl charged again, spinning back and forth to avoid the brown masses with next to no time to advance. She finally made a mistake after around a minute when she twisted to avoid another lump, unaware that Zalgo had used his other hand to send a second one at her.

The teenager fell sideways in an attempt to dodge, narrowly avoiding it, yet landing right in the path of another one. Her eyes widened and her hands began drawing up with her legs for what little protection she could gain.

_CRUNCH_

A solid, warm body tumbled into Jakara's and they rolled several times before stopping. She slowly sat up with a wince before nearly screaming when she saw who had saved her.

Jeff lay on his side with blood trickling from his mouth and his eyes tearing up. His hoodie was smudged brown and red here and there, and his chest pumped irregularly.

"J-Jeff?" Tears of her own began swelling up. "Jeff? Jeff!" She rolled him onto his back and he weakly smiled at her.

"Come on, princess. Show h-him…show him who's the lion here." He coughed, bringing up more blood before slowly pulling out his knife and handing it to her.

The shock and pain mixed and pooled in Jakara's mind and as she stood, a deranged giggle slipped from her mouth. Then a laugh as she turned to face Zalgo and her mind completely lost all thought except for her pain and desire to hurt the attacker.

"Go. To. SLEEP!" She hurled Jeff's knife as hard as she could and him, spinning it blade over handle before it sunk into the creature's arm.

She cut the bandages off her right hand, flexing it before pulling out the knife her friend had given her for her birthday and charging again with an animalistic cry.

He was too taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor to throw any more dirt chunks and narrowly dodged a slash at his chest, then swiped at her head with both hands.

Jakara blocked them with her knives before swiftly spinning while bringing a blade up to cut his arm. She leaned back to dodge another blow, then darted in and slashed upwards in a cross over his chest before cutting in his armpits and retreating slightly again.

Even Slenderman was surprised at her sudden descent into madness and new-found ferocity, as well as her heightened combat abilities.

The girl pivoted while bending over to avoid more slashes and continuously moved so she was behind him, giving her enough time to rip viciously down Zalgo's back with her right weapon before jumping up as he turned to slice at one eye.

The black creature backed up a few steps, holding the bleeding gash with a shaking arm and gasping as liquid as dark as his skin began slipping out of the wounds.

Jakara began moving towards him again, but he yanked out the knife embedded in his left arm and fled, leaving her to stand panting and trembling before she collapsed onto her hands and knees.

A pounding headache ripped through the girl's skull and her stomach roiled, and her right hand spasmed in pain just to remind her it wasn't completely healed. She retched suddenly, coughing and emptying what little was in her stomach onto the ground before trying to stand and putting the knives in her pocket.

She staggered a couple feet before collapsing with a groan, feeling tears spring to her eyes as everything went black.


	16. A New Family?

_A.N. ~ hey, sorry for the wait. The wifi at my dad's house could give someone nightmares, but at least it means I have a few pre-writen chapters ready. And I'm sorry for how short this one is, but don't worry! I'll post the next one immediately!_

* * *

"Is she a killer?"

"S-Slenderman said she w-wasn't."

"Slender said she came with Jeff, so maybe they know each other?"

The three voices drew Jakara out of her sleep and she blinked open her eyes, wincing at the headache that still lingered as well as how sore her muscles were.

"Oh, she's waking up!" A face covered in a pair of round, amber-tinted goggles and a mouth guard entered the girl's view, coming close enough to startle her. She gasped and rolled sideways, off whatever it was she'd been on top of and landing on her hands and feet before backing up and reaching for a knife.

Her brows knit together when she realized that she was unarmed, but she quickly melted into a fighting stance as she examined the owners of the voices.

One had brown hair, though only a bit of it stuck out from under a dark blue hood which fell over the goggles. His sweater was a pale, greyish-brown with sleeves that were striped by slightly darker shades of the same color. He also wore jeans that slightly hid black and white Converse.

The second wore an orange hoodie with a black fabric mask that had red eyes and a red, down-turned mouth that looked like it belonged on a sad smiley face. He also wore jeans, though his footwear seemed to just be black sneakers.

The last was in almost nothing but green. A green pointy hat, a green tunic, whit pants, strange brown boots, and a brown leather belt. He had blond hair and black eyes with red irises that seemed to be dripping blood.

"Who are you? Where am I? Is Jeff okay? Where is he?" They stared at her for a few moments before the blond one answered.

"Uh, you're somewhere safe. I'm Ben, this is Toby," he gestured at the teenager with goggles, "and that's Hoodie." He flicked his head at the last one and for a moment her mind stalled.

"Hoodie? So that's what Jeff was…n-never mind. Where is he?"

"Jeff's still being worked on. Zalgo hit him pretty hard, but E.J. will take care of him. He's really good with medical stuff." Ben smiled in a way that seemed somewhat reassuring and Jakara slowly relaxed, deciding she didn't have to worry about being killed. If they wanted her dead, they could have just left her in the woods at Zalgo's mercy.

"Oh. Uh…" She scratched the back of her neck nervously, suddenly embarrassed at her outburst and instinctively pulling her hood up. Instead of getting weird looks, Ben and Toby simply glanced at each other, the former smiling wryly, while Hoodie tilted his head. "M-my name's Jakara, then. If you want, you can come up with a nickname."

"Anything but Jack. We've got too many Jacks already." Ben's words cut off Toby, who sighed with large, unhappy eyes.

"Wait, don't tell me L.J. lives here," the girl's own eyes were like saucers as they began nodding. "Aaand is he around now?"

"N-no, I can't rem-member the last time h-he was here," Hoodie mumbled.

"You two must have met for you to hate him so much," Toby guessed.

"Yes. Does he have any concept of personal space?"

"N-no."

"Nuh-uh."

"Not a clue."

* * *

"Excuse me, but Jeff is awake if you wish to see him," Slenderman's soft voice drew Jakara's attention away from where she was talking to Toby, who had coaxed her after a while into eating some food, though she'd not been able to stomach much.

Nodding, the girl immediately followed him through hallways and rooms, going up some stairs and entering a room that contained two people.

One was a boy with grey skin and brown hair in a black hoodie and jeans, and when he turned around he revealed two black pits where his eyes were supposed to be that dripped a dark liquid. The other was Jeff, who lay in a bed, wrapped in bandages with his head resting on a pillow.

Completely forgetting everyone else, she hurried to where her friend's face was pointing and knelt, smiling when their eyes locked together.

"You're scary when your sanity snaps, you know that?" She frowned slightly at his words and tilted her head.

"What? I-I mean, is that what happened? I can't really remember much after you told me to…" Shrugging, she tried to remember, but was only able to come up with blurry images and faint concepts. "Man, _that's_ what it's like to lose your sanity? I couldn't stay conscious for five minutes afterwards. How can you live like that?"

"You're talking like you're not still insane. Aren't you?"

"Umm…I don't feel that different. Is it possible I only went crazy for a little while?" They paused to think before a gentle cough from Slenderman drew their attention.

"I do believe it is possible for someone to lose their sanity only temporarily, as Jakara did. However, there is still the matter of how you are not a killer." He turned his attention to the girl and she sighed, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Well, try as you might, I won't be changing my mind about it. I take it you'll want me to leave?" Jeff's hand gripped her wrist and he coughed lightly before glaring at the faceless man.

"If you're kicking her out, I'm going too, got it?"

"J—"

"Jakara." His sharp voice cut her off and she sighed before compliantly shutting her mouth and letting him continue to snap at Slenderman until it got to the point where the injured killer began shouting and sitting up.

That caused both his girlfriend and the eyeless teenager nearby to quickly begin pushing on his shoulders so he'd lie down again.

"Jeff, my sanity is gonna snap again if I have to listen to you for another minute. Talk calmly, talk rationally, talk quietly, or don't talk and figure something out with sign language." He glanced nervously at her aggravated glare and sighed, muttering incoherently before sharply nodding.

"Now, as I was about to say, Jakara, though you are not a killer, you are certainly not an ordinary human being, as you have lost your sanity once and are capable of becoming a match even for Zalgo. However, having you stay as a freeloader will not be tolerated. Is there anything you specialize in?"

"Because killing people contributes so much to house life," she muttered before realizing the thought had been aloud. She flushed and rubbed the back of her neck. "Um, I've got practice in kitchen-raiding and I'm an okay cook, I guess…" Jeff lost a wheezy chuckle.

"'You guess'? Have you tasted your food? I could live off that stuff."

"Suck up."

"I know."

"Children," Slenderman softly interrupted. "Those are useful talents. Please put them to good use, and welcome to our family." He softly but firmly shook the girl's hand before leaving the room and all three of them alone.

"Um…hi?" The eyeless boy waved slightly before scratching the back of his head.

"Hi. I-I'm Jakara, go ahead and think of a nickname if you want." She shrugged slightly, relieved her hood was still up since her discomfort was growing.

"I'm Eyeless Jack, but E.J. or Jack works." She nodded, smiling slightly when he did and starting to feel a slight flutter of hope when she remembered what Slenderman had said.

_'Family', huh? When's the last time I had one of those?_ The smile widened and the hope swelled. Maybe she'd finally found a family that wouldn't leave?


	17. Happy Anniversary

_A.N. ~ bah! Another short chapter! But in quick succession to the last, and another is coming right after this one, so it's all good!_

* * *

"L.J.! Get away from there or so help me, I'll cook _you!_" Jakara howled, already dealing with a spitting pan of finely chopped potatoes for hash browns along with the sauce for chicken that was baking in the oven.

The monochrome killer froze where the fruit was sitting ready to be chopped and grinned mischievously.

"Baw, but I just wanna little taste!"

"L.J., you can get an entire bowl-full if you just LEAVE THE KITCHEN!" He cackled and teasingly picked up a strawberry. "Hey! Don't you dare! I had to fight a two-hundred-pound man for those strawberries!"

"L.J., ARE YOU HARASSING MY GIRLFRIEND AGAIN?!" Jeff's sharp voice thundered from the living room and terror flashed across the clown's face as he quickly set the fruit down before fleeing.

Hoodie entered the kitchen and flinched upon seeing Jakara's aggravated glare that stared at the door on the far end of the room. She huffed before taking notice of him and instantly smiling slightly, falling into a far more friendly demeanor.

"Hoodie, good timing. Got a moment?" He jerkily nodded his head and her smile widened. "Great! Could you please wash up and chop those strawberries in half and cut away the leaves? Thanks!"

In around fifteen minutes, things were ready.

"DINNER!" Jakara's holler reverberated through the house and a few curses were audible.

"Jaka! You freakin' made me lose the game! I was so close," Ben wailed from the living room.

"Sorry, marshmallow, I thought after all those horror games you'd be used to jump-scares!" The girl grabbed a plate, along with Hoodie, and they began getting their food. Hash browns, sliced strawberries that had been lightly salted and painted in honey, and chicken with sweet-and-sour sauce as a side option. Jeff strolled in and smirked, picking up the used kitchen knife.

"No human parts floating around in the food?" He and his girlfriend snickered before she moved, enabling him to get his share of dinner.

"Oh, plenty. The main ingredient in the sauce is blood! How else did you think I could make it that red?" Hoodie glanced at her swiftly and she just grinned before mumbling something about 'just a joke'.

* * *

"Hey, guess what?"

"Hmm?" Jakara glanced over her shoulder at Jeff, who was grinning even more broadly and had snuck up behind where she'd been washing dishes.

"It's been eleven months since you found me in that alley."

"And took you in like a rabid stray cat? Yeah, time flies." Growling in annoyance, the killer hugged her from behind, causing the girl to tense ever so slightly before relaxing.

"Are you ever gonna get over it?" He rested his chin on her shoulder and she smiled slightly, pausing her scrubbing so he'd not be uncomfortable from her arm moving.

"Eventually. I'm already mostly over it. If you're referring to the sarcasm and teasing, no, those are never going away." Her friend chuckled softly, placing his cheek against hers.

"I'd never want them to. They're some of your best qualities."

"They're some of yours, too." A cough drowned in giggles drew their attention to the doorway, where Laughing Jack was grinning (like the idiot he was in Jakara's opinion).

"And you say _I_ have no sense of personal space," he sing-sang while prancing to the cupboard where most of the candy was stashed.

"I'm not dating you. And Jeff knows how and when to stop when I want him to." The couple had long since been left alone when it came to their relationship, as everyone had seen that Jakara _would_, in fact, force-feed whoever excessively teased them about it (L.J. and Toby) laxatives before hanging them by their ankles upside down from a tree and leave them there with their hands duct-taped securely behind their backs. That had earned her a lengthy scolding from Slenderman, but it was worth it since nobody had been brave enough to even bring up the topic of dating for over a week afterwards.

"You're so cold!"

"Thanks, I try my hardest."

"Have fun, lovebirds," the clown purred while skipping out of the room.

"Go choke on a lollipop or something," Jeff snarled at the retreating male's back.

"Oooh, choking? Is that part of your 'fun' at night?"

"L.J.! I'm not out of laxatives, you know!" Jakara's somewhat shrill voice was followed by the swift patter of feet as the monochrome killer scurried away.

"So is that a 'yes'?" He called, already fairly far away.

"Screw this," Jeff muttered while drawing out his knife and leaving the kitchen, howling something about 'sleep' and leaving Jakara to desperately suppress the urge to face-palm and therefore keep the many suds out of her eyes, substituting it with an exasperated groan.

"What about 'choking'?" She glanced with a wry smile at where Eyeless Jack was strolling in.

"Oh, what L.J. is gonna be if Jeff catches up to him. Remind me how he's lived as long as he has?"

"Heck if I know. He's been around longer than me. Slender's interference is probably the only reason." They grinned before returning to whatever they'd previously been doing, though a terrified wail tore through the entire mansion, along with what sounded like 'you're dead, clown boy!' from who was most likely Jeff. "I'd…better go get my med kit."

* * *

"Jeff, where are we going?"

"Just be quiet and stop squirming. You're not as light as you used to be."

"I weighed myself, ya jerk. I'm one-oh-two, so I'm light for my age."

"Oh, well, I'm light for my age, so you shouldn't have any problems carrying me back, right?" Jakara wondered if she should hit Jeff or let it slide, but considering he was carrying her bridal-style and she had her face buried in his hoodie so as to avoid peeking like she'd promised, that most likely was a bad idea. And she couldn't really stay mad at him, since they _were_ only teasing each other.

"Still happy about the sarcasm and teasing?"

His warm breath tickled her ear and the girl shivered. "Overjoyed. Don't worry we're almost there." And with that, she could tell by the sudden increase in the speed and power of his footsteps' jolts that the killer had begun jogging, and he stopped after less than a minute to carefully set the brunette back on her feet.

But suddenly he lost his grip and she yelped, eyes flying wide open so she could land on her hands and feet before looking up to chew him out for it. But his shocked eyes caused her to follow his line of sight to where a blanket and basket sat in a small clearing.

Standing to face them in front of the blanket, however, was a teenager looking a little older than Jeff with chocolate brown hair and startling emerald eyes. His face was criss-crossed with scars that resembled ones you'd expect to see on Frankenstein's monster, a black-and-white striped scarf was wrapped around his neck and he wore a black coat and black pants.

The stranger smiled slightly and waved, but then took a pleading step forward as the other boy backed up. Suddenly Jeff was running, drawing his cried name from both Jakara and the green-eyed one.

The girl frowned at his reaction and expression, then turned on her heel to look at the older male as her arms crossed. "Who are you and how do you know Jeff?"

The snap of a twig caused her to spin again, cutting him off as she drew her knives. Through the bleak trees that had only just begun to regain greenery, she caught sight of a towering black figure. For a moment her mind concluded it was Slenderman, but this person was too bulky and shaped wrong. The flash of red eyes caused her own to widen before she began running immediately.

"Oi! Zalgo, you boneheaded coward!" The shadow stopped and turned, sure enough to show Zalgo's monstrous form as his teeth grit together. Jakara stopped a good ten feet away, still holding her knives and crouching, as she had the last time they'd met. "Why are you here?"

"Isn't that obvious, _pest_?" The sound of the stranger approaching from behind caused the girl to tense even more.

"Hey, were you sent to separate me and Jeff?" She tilted her head back slightly to signal she was referring to him.

"No! I—who is that?" She glanced back to see his surprised, slightly offended expression, then almost face-palmed as she realized her mistake and dove backwards, narrowly escaping Zalgo's claws.

She rolled a few times before smoothly transitioning back into a crouch and blocking the next attack. A strange, kind of foggy sensation tugged at the back of her mind that she quickly identified with some relief and concern.

"Can I really trust you?" She hopped back to stand beside the stranger, who nodded with earnest, imploring eyes. "Then listen up. When I next attack, you run and find Jeff, then tell him to get back to the mansion. _Make sure_ he gets there, got it?"

"B-but what about—"

"I'll be fine, just go!" And with that, she let the fog blank out almost every part of her consciousness, allowing the overwhelming desire to simply _end_ Zalgo flood through her. She giggled, spinning her knives once around before charging.

Unlike the last time they'd fought, however, the girl was also remembering to use kicks and feints; a result of practicing combat with her sanity snapped every week over the past month. She'd spend all of Mondays and Thursdays fighting with the other residents, who had to frequently switch off since unbridled insanity was so difficult to fend off, recovering after each time her sanity returned, then repeating the process, shakily eating something, and practically collapsing into bed and not moving until the next morning.

However, the fight was short and Zalgo retreated quickly, leaving Jakara to come out of it and collapse. She coughed a few times before beginning to empty her stomach. Somebody restraining her thick, curly hair and stroking her back faintly registered, but the sixteen-year-old couldn't pay much attention until she'd finally finished.

Sitting back, she sensed the person leaving for a minute or so before returning with a couple napkins and a bottle of water – most likely from the basket she'd noticed earlier.

"Thanks." After washing out her mouth and spitting the tainted water onto the ground, then guzzling a few gulps, she rubbed her lips off and looked to see that it had been the stranger who had been the one to help her.

"No problem. Come on, let's get you to the blanket. What was that?"

"The horned jerk was Zalgo. No idea what he is, he just isn't human and has a grudge against me and Jeff. And the part where I suddenly got a lot crazier would be how I snap my sanity to fight him on equal terms." Her voice rasped and she staggered as the stranger led her to the fabric square.

Once sat down, he slowly drew a large knife out of one pocket – still in its sheath – before handing it to Jakara and immediately putting her more at ease. "I'm unarmed now. So, who are you?"

"At the risk of sounding like Jeff, you can answer that first." She offered a small smile, which was returned.

"His personality really hasn't changed that much, then. I'm Liu, Jeff's brother." For a few stretched out seconds, they just sat there mutely staring at each other before the girl uttered the most intelligent thing she could think of.

"Huh."


	18. Fights and Friends

_A.N. ~ ugh, I give! Another chapter that's several hundred words shorter than usual! Deal with it, I just uploaded three in quick succession, including this one. Be happy!_

* * *

A sharp cry of pain caught in Jakara's ears and her eyes shot as wide as they could go. She stood up fast, though nearly fell over – and would have if Liu hadn't caught her.

"That was Jeff. Crap, how badly did I hurt Zalgo?"

"I'm not sure. You had a lot more feints and attempts at killing him bunched in there than you think."

"Agh, he must've figured that I wouldn't chase him." She staggered out of the older teenager's arms and began running as fast as she could, using trees for support. The boy grabbed his knife before catching up and throwing one of the girl's arms over his shoulder, picking up the pace drastically.

It took a painstaking three minutes to finally catch up to where Jeff and Zalgo were, and upon arriving they found the scarred killer struggling against his opponent. The boy was suddenly grabbed around his neck and slammed against a tree before being hurled painfully onto the ground. That kind of attack pattern brought back an all-too painful memory and Jakara yanked away from Liu, drawing her knives and silently sprinting behind the horned creature a moment before she jumped up and plunged the blades into his back, dragging them down with her.

With an infuriated howl, the monster grabbed her and tossed her a few feet, causing the girl to land next to Jeff. She was panting and unable to stand again from her complete exhaustion, but when he leaned down to grab her again, she stabbed his hand and ripped the blade around to cause as much damage as possible.

"Don't you know?" She panted. "Never…touch a girl…when she's not in the mood." For the second time that day, a knife sank into Zalgo's back and he rounded on Liu, who was glaring with hard eyes and backing away slightly.

"Have you ever considered armor for your back? Maybe this would stop happening if you did," the scarred brunette taunted, narrowly dodging a swipe and backing up further to draw the beast away from his brother and the girl.

"Jackie, you alright?" Jeff dragged himself up onto an elbow, shaking and dripping blood.

"Y-yeah. Your brother better be a good fighter…" She felt Jeff's warm hand on her shoulder before watching through her half-closed eyes as he stumbled to his feet and began tottering off towards where the two were fighting.

_Can they even chase him off like that? Liu, you better take care of Jeff._

* * *

Soft voices drew Jakara out of the soft blackness that had enveloped her and she slowly allowed her cerulean eyes to slide open.

"Hey, 'bout time you woke up." She lifted her head to see Jeff smirking at her and he reached over to pull a strand of hair out of her face. The girl tediously sat up and realized Liu was also present, and food from the basket was here and there.

"Nngh, what happened to Zalgo?"

"Chased him off. You really shouldn't let your sanity snap like that unless you're planning to finish the fight in one go." The burned teenager handed her a water bottle and she blearily accepted.

"I did. Don't know what happened. Maybe he knew if he ran away I wouldn't follow him?" She chugged a few mouthfuls before putting it down and happily accepting a bologna sandwich filled with mayonnaise and mustard.

They boys' eyes suddenly widened and she heard heavy breathing behind her. Looking over her shoulder, the sixteen-year-old saw a skinny, ashen creature whose skin was so taught over its skeleton that she could easily count every single one of its ribs. Its hands were claw-like and its round eyes were pure white. It raised a hand as if to strike threateningly and a heart-stopping glare crossed her face.

"DON'T SPEAK TO ME RIGHT NOW!" The thundering command could probably have been heard on the other side of the planet as the girl stood and shoved her face merely inches away from the newcomer's. Its eyes widened even more and in mere seconds it was fleeing and out of sight.

Sitting back down with a huff, Jakara grabbed her sandwich again before grinning and giggling as the boys stared at her. "Well, so much for my bad mood. Jeff, care to give me a lesson on the local wildlife?"

"U-um, th-that was the Rake. He, uh…well, I don't think you're ever gonna have to worry about him after _that_." With a nod, the girl began eating her food while Liu leaned towards his brother.

"Heck of a girl," he mumbled, barely audible.

"Tell me about it."

"Oh, yeah. How're you two getting along?" They sharply looked back to where Jakara was still eating.

"Well, we established that we don't hate each other."

"I'm the new accepted brother-in-law." Both Jeff and his girlfriend flushed at that statement and looked around to stare at random objects, mumbling protests about how they weren't married.

* * *

Liu…got mixed greetings. Laughing Jack had offered him candy, and the scarred brunette almost accepted when Jakara intervened with a glare and telling Jack not to poison her boyfriend's brother.  
Ben was in an intense video game, so he was in a bad mood and basically spat out a greeting when the girl snatched away his controller and hit the pause button before he took it back.  
Eyeless Jack, Masky, and Hoodie all remained mostly quiet, thought Toby was enthusiastic enough in his 'hello'. Slenderman simply, politely welcomed Liu to the mansion with the friendly offer for him to stay as long as he liked.  
Sally was thrilled at the sight of a new face, and Smile was overly incredulous until hearing that the stranger was Jeff's brother, in which case he was immediately accepted.

"I've gotta be honest, I'm a bit jealous," Jakara chuckled as she began washing her hands in preparation to make dinner. Liu, sitting at the table, tilted his head curiously. Jeff was upstairs, taking a shower and having E.J. treat his wounds.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I know why, but you were accepted pretty quickly. It took me beating the crap out of Zalgo and snapping my sanity for the first time to barely get Slender to let me stay. The difference between us is simply that you're a killer and I'm not." For the first time, the boy seemed to notice her necklace.

"I-I guess for him it'd sort of be like someone accepting a girl into an orphanage for boys. You naturally belong somewhere else even if you're an orphan. Eh, metaphorically speaking, I mean." She twisted to grin at him while grabbing a knife and cutting board.

"You're right, metaphorically and not. Anyway, enough about me. What've you been up to? It was what, three, four years since you last saw Jeff? Why didn't you find him sooner?" Liu's smile dropped instantly and Jakara rapped her forehead with the back of a hand in substitute of a face-palm. "Sorry."

"N-no, it's fine. I just went around…" She shrugged, fully aware of what his tone implied about his reluctance. "A-anyways, I actually do wanna know…how'd you end up with Jeff? I really can't imagine how he'd fall for someone who isn't a killer. Uh, no offense."

"None taken. Well, I'll start from the beginning and a side note before that. First, even if I only _temporarily_ snap my sanity, I'm still crazier than anyone in this building. Second, I'm a sympathetic idiot who can't stand seeing others in pain. Minus a few." Seeing his nod, she continued. "Well, I guess I should start with how we even met. And no, he wasn't in my room saying 'go to sleep'. That happened in the alley where I found him injured. One of his victims had fought back and left him in bad condition."

She paused when Sally skipped in and quickly gave the small child a glass of water, watching as she left again prior to resuming while pulling out hamburger meat and emptying it into a large bowl full of chopped onions and a sauce she'd created herself.

"Eventually he stopped trying to kill me and let me help him. He stayed in my house hidden in the basement for around five or six days recovering. After that…well, it's too complicated for a brief explanation, but let's just say I thought my sister was dead and we left. Stayed with him for around six months living on the streets, raiding his victims' kitchens, and after L.J. decided to troll us for the billionth time…well, in short our love/hate relationship leaned more to one side."

"With the exceptional dabs of the other patch-working it. Heck if any couple can be perfect." Their attention snapped to where Jeff was leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed.

"I hate you, too," Jakara teased, kneading the cold meat with secret disgust and then groaning when the black-haired killer strolled over and popped a bit of it into his mouth. "You have any idea how many parasites are probably crawling around in there?"

"You have any idea how little I care? I'm hungry!"

"Then get a snack or live with it until dinner is ready! Jeff!" He was snickering as he chewed another snitched bit of meat and she lightly pushed him away with her elbow, scolding and being mostly ignored. The next time he reached for a pinch, she slapped the back of his hand. "There, lick that off and leave me in peace! It'll just take longer if you keep interrupting."

"But it's _right_ there!"

"Jeff, I'm gonna turn _you_ into hamburger meat if you don't back off. Go get your butt handed to you by Ben or something."

"No! I'm hungry!"

"If you're craving meat so much, ask E.J. for one of his kidneys, then!"

"No!" Liu's hearty laugh stopped the bickering pair and they turned to see him trying to suppress the bubbling chuckles, getting to the point where he had to wipe away a couple tears.

"Are you two sure I'm not a brother-in-law? You definitely sound like a married couple."

"Go to sleep."

"You shouldn't have done that," Jakara muttered over Jeff.

"Oi! That's _my_ line! And when's dinner gonna be ready?" Ben strolled into the room, grabbing a small bag of potato chips from a cupboard.

"Depends on how much longer the Joker keeps bugging me. If I'm uninterrupted, in around an hour to an hour and a half. So drag this jerk off and beat him in Call of Duty or something!" Smirking, the ghost stepped over and grabbed Jeff's hood with his free hand, dragging the pale killer out of the room despite being smaller.

"Sleep lightly, Jackie _dear_," the smiling killer called.

"Don't sleep at all, Jeffy dear!" And with that he was gone, leaving Liu to once again choke on laughter and Jakara somewhat irritated.

"You two are perfect for each other."

"Gesundheit."

* * *

"Children, wonderful news." Everyone's attention was wrenched from their respective activities at Slenderman's uncharacteristically ecstatic voice.

Ben and E.J. paused their video game, Jakara and Jeff stopped playing catch with one of their knives, L.J. and Sally stopped rubbing Smile, Masky and Hoodie, who had been watching the video game, looked over the back of the couch, and Liu, who had been reading, popped in a bookmark.

"Well? I'm gonna die again by the time you get around to it." Ben's comment seemed to snap the faceless creature out of his thoughts.

"Of course. Well, it's both a vacation and a bit of an errand. I'm sure you've heard of the mysterious serial killer terrorizing that small city nearby?" Most nodded, though a few – such as Jakara and E.J. – weren't really sure of who he was talking about. "Well, I've rented you a place to stay. Feel free to relax for a couple weeks, however within that time I would appreciate if you would either recruit or eliminate this killer. Understood?" They nodded and almost instantly, Slenderman left the room.

"Killers hunting down another killer? Guess you guys don't like competition all that much?" Jakara narrowly moved her head out of the way in time as a knife thrown by Jeff sped past to bury itself in the wall.

"Nope. Saw a few of the pictures of their victims, too. They _really_ like making a mess." Ben's half-minded call answered as she retrieved the blade. "I also hacked into the police reports. They're targeting teens between the ages of fifteen and eighteen with dark hair. Gender's irrelevant, but they're definitely using a close-range type of blade."

"Oh, fun. So who's the bait and who's standing by with a weapon?" Her grin dissolved as basically everyone looked pointedly at her. "Oh…"

* * *

_A.N. ~ poor Jackie. You _never _ask that question. Though at least the Rake won't be bothering you any time soon *troll face*._


	19. Idiots Don't Die

_A.N. ~ okay, it's still three to five hundred words less than I'd like, but it's also the fourth chapter today. No complaining! :)_

* * *

_So. Here I am wandering around like an idiot hoping for the best with two _kitchen_ knives to counter an unknown person and their unidentified weapon with Jeff and Toby hanging around who knows how far away, and if this killer attacks me right, it could easily be too late by the time they reach me, even if it's only a few seconds. Greeaaat._

Jakara sighed and continued wandering around. From what they could piece together, the next murder was most likely to occur somewhere in the area she was traversing. She idly whistled a few notes of 'Pop Goes The Weasel'. L.J. hadn't stopped singing it, so there was no way it would leave her head any time soon.

With a slight smirk, she dropped the song into minor key, making it sound far more creepy and ominous than usual and gripping the handles of her knives tightly to help calm her nerves. She yawned and rubbed an eye before glancing at where the moon hung like one of the Rake's claws in the sky.

"Pop goes the weasel." A singing voice that sounder strangely familiar had her spinning around to see a _huge_ bowie knife swinging at her head. The girl's hood fell back as she swiftly drew her knives to block it.

To her surprise, the stranger's weapon phased right through her blades, though it suddenly twisted so the flat collided with her head.

"Those aren't knives. _This _is a knife. Where's the ugly jerk who thought he was good enough for you?"

"Closer than you think." Jeff's knife swiped at the figure, who spun and blocked with nearly inhuman speed.

_What…his knife went through mine, though. Wait, he's…_ with a groan, Jakara rolled onto her hands and knees, standing with a wince and wiping the blood out of her right eye. It was dripping down quickly, so seeing was an issue, but she wasn't blind.

The blond hair, square chin, and furious blue eyes were recognizable and she grit her teeth as the reason for why his knife seemed to pass right through hers popped into her mind.

"Of all the people to come back," she muttered, diving toward where her friend and the figure were wrestling for control and swiping at the blonde's back with a sense of triumph when he grunted in pain and blood sprayed from the wounds. "Dirk, get the frickin' hint that I. Don't. Like you! Just freakin' die already!" Toby ran over brandishing both his hatchets.

"So I take it recruiting him isn't happening," he called.

"Heck no," both Jakara and Jeff snarled.

"Wait, you're saying I can join you guys? I'm interested!"

"No! You don't get to. I wanna sleep with _both_ eyes closed," the girl muttered.

"Wait, guys, Slender's gonna be pissed if we chase off somebody who actually wants to join. We should let him talk!"

"Toby, this guy tried killing Jeff and I don't even want to think about what he was gonna do to me. He is _not_ joining. I wouldn't let him if he got on his knees and _begged_, Jakara spat, leaning back sharply to dodge another jab.

"Hey, I could've already killed you if I wanted to. Come on, let me! I don't bite. Much," Dirk added with a wink at the cerulean-eyed teen, who just tried stabbing him again.

"Screw this, I'm killing you a second time," Jeff thundered.

"Oi! It's my turn!"

"'Thou shalt not kill', remember?"

"Blast it," she muttered, fully aware that he was right.

"Hey! Slender says you don't get to kill him and that he wants to talk to Dirk himself. Knock it off, guys!" Toby had a cell phone in one hand and glared at the furious pair.

"Rrgh, you're lucky. Next time, you aren't surviving," Jeff warned as he backed off, stuffing his knife in his pocket.

"Alright, tell Slender we'll get back to the mansion by noon tomorrow," Jakara sighed.

"Wait…nope, he says he wants Ben to bring Dirk to the mansion right away and then everything will be decided." With a quick goodbye, Toby shut his phone and shoved it into a pocket. "Well by tomorrow we'll either have a new roommate, or another dead body to give Smile."

"No, actually we'll have either a dead body for Smile or a potential dead body." The girl's knives remained in her hands, and they stayed there as all four of them returned to the large, well-furnished cabin on the outskirts of the city.

"We're back!" Toby's voice filled the entire building with its usual cheer and he trotted off to the kitchen to prepare food.

"What happened?" Liu's voice drifted from the second floor.

"Ben, we need you to take somebody back to the mansion to meet Slender," Jakara called. "He's deciding whether this idiot lives or dies a second time."

"'Second time'? You brought another ghost? Awesome!" The lights flickered and the elf-like poltergeist fell a few feet from the ceiling to land in front of them, grinning enthusiastically.

"Yeah, sure. 'Awesome'. Just take him to die already," Jeff muttered before stalking away.

"You two shouldn't keep Slender waiting. Last thing we need is another person in a bad mood," the girl grumbled, shuffling off to wash her knives in the kitchen sink.

* * *

"Honey, we're ho-ome!" Ben howled, drawing a groan from Jakara.

"Ugh, he pluralized that. Don't tell me…"

"Did Slender seriously let him live?" Jeff beat her to the punch, and after a couple moments, a loud curse answered her question.

"Liu, any time you feel like killing me…" He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow

"What's wrong with the new guy?"

"Everything." Just then Dirk sauntered into the room, grinning like an idiot, though stopping ten feet from Jakara when she pulled out a knife. "You. You behave, you interact with me as little as possible, you _don't_ try killing Jeff, or your life will be hell in a hand basket, got it?"

"Don't worry, sweet cheeks, I'll be nice."

"And don't start calling me nicknames, either! We already have one Laughing Jack, we don't need another."

"Wait, who was the husband, again?"

"Liu!"

"I dunno, I kinda like the idea," Dirk smirked, and the girl contemplated throwing her knife.

"Get lost," Jeff growled from where he'd snuck up behind the blond, roughly shoving the older male out of the way before striding over to Jakara.

He picked her up out of the chair, sat down on the cushion, and then placed her on his lap and hugged the cerulean-eyed girl around her shoulders protectively, non-verbally screaming 'mine!'. And as though to reinforce that, she leaned more against him and placed a hand on one of his forearms with a hard glare.

Dirk simply shrugged and wandered out, leaving Liu to look at the pair questioningly as they just shared a sigh.

"Umm…dare I ask what happened?"

"Dirk took a fancy to me and didn't take the hint I wasn't interested, even after Jeff and I both threatened him. Well…it escalated into him jumping us with his gang, and then going after me when I was alone after that. Jeff killed him then, but I guess stains really are hard to get out," Jakara shrugged.

"How many bloodstains have you cleaned?" Jeff raised a figurative eyebrow and she smirked.

"I lost count after fifty. Seriously, stop it with the white hoodie and go buy a black or red one."

"Yeah, 'buy'. And doesn't that make it harder to find the stains?"

"Dry blood tends to be easy to find."

"Well, I like the look of blood on my hoodie, so no."

"Troll."

"Priss."

"I'll be the best man."

"Liu!"

* * *

"Hey, beautiful." Jakara smiled as warm arms wrapped around her waist, then frowned when she realized they didn't feel like Jeff's. When she thought about it, the voice barely qualified, either. She'd just shrugged it off as a frog in the throat since nobody else was dumb or rude enough to do this. Well, except L.J., but he didn't bother trying to hide his identity. Then she realized who it was.

"DIRK!" She jabbed her elbow behind her as hard as she could and felt it collide with his chest. Judging by the sharp intake of breath, it hurt, too.

"Ouch! And here I thought it was a good impression."

"Get new arms and vocal cords and a new personality and life and everything and then we'll talk. Now go away. You don't want to mess with me in the kitchen where there are so many pointy things." She crossed her arms, backing away as he advanced until she was pressed against the fridge and he was starting to lean towards her. That was when her instincts took over and she threw a hard, well-practiced punch into his jaw, causing the blond to stagger back. "Leave. Now."

"I recommend you do as she says." Eyeless Jack stiffly approached, then stepped in between the two with his teeth clenched together.

Honestly, Jakara was surprised. He'd never really interacted with her that much, and they'd mainly just avoided each other. It had actually made her feel rather uncomfortable and awkward around him, so him showing such aggressive protectiveness wasn't really expected.

With the corners of his lips downturned, Dirk nodded and left, prompting the eyeless male to turn and rub the back of his neck and tilt his head in a way that made her sure that if he had eyes, they'd be averted.

"You alright?"

"Y-yeah, thanks." With that, all words died in their throats and they awkwardly began preparing their food, avoiding collisions easily since they were the only ones present.

Once Jakara had her grilled cheese and halved apple, she retreated to the room she'd claimed and flopped onto her bed, starting to eat while staring idly off into space. She'd left her computer back at her old house when she and Jeff had fled from Zalgo, so finding enough money to buy a new one would be a good idea.

She had just popped the last bite of apple into her mouth when a knock rattled the door.

"Come in," her muffled voice called. Hoodie timidly entered, slinking in with his head down and shoulders hunched like a wildcat that knew it was being watched.

"H-hi. I-I'm going out to hu-hunt. C-could you p-please c-come?" She smiled.

"Sure. What's Masky up to? Doesn't he usually go with you?" She hopped to the floor and grabbed a black hoodie from the floor, listening as she wrestled it on.

"Yes, b-but he's n-not feeling so good, a-and I don't w-w-want to go out al-lone…" He twiddled his thumbs self-consciously and she smiled again.

"'Kay." She finished by pulling her favorite two knives out from under the pillow where they always rested when she wasn't wearing her sweater and placing them carefully in the pocket.

Near the front door, she hollered out that they were gone hunting, then continued on. Once they'd exited the building and gone a ways, tentative conversation fluttered into life.

"S-so, wh-why do you h-hold your knives l-like that?"

"I'm not very strong holding them normally, so I use my arm to brace the blade when I want to deal deep cuts, and it's easy to control, so I can choose how serious the injuries I give are better. I'm not sure I've ever seen you with a weapon. What do you use?"

"A p-pipe or anything l-long and h-hard so I can knock p-people out. It's easier to k-kill them if they a-aren't struggling."

"At the risk of sounding too nice, it's also not so bad for your victims since they're not awake for it and can't feel any pain."

"N-no, that's wh-why I do i-it." They lapsed into silence once again, walking side by side into the city.

* * *

_A.N. ~ okay, not my absolutely most thrilling chapter, and I apologize for that. Still having trouble coming up with ideas...  
_


	20. Issues

Jakara flinched at the scream of a woman and sighed, crossly shoving a bag of chocolate chips into her backpack before zipping it shut and hefting the massive bag of pancake mix she'd discovered up, hugging it to her chest. Toby would be happy that she'd found it, though if things came down to a chase involving the police, she'd just have to give up on surprising him that night.

_Jeff, you idiot, I thought I told you to kill them quickly and quietly! At least make this as not horrible for your victims as possible. And less difficult for us as a result. There could be a mutual benefit here._

She slipped to the back door, tapping a foot impatiently and waiting for her friend to appear. However, he didn't and she began getting worried. Jeff would occasionally mess around with his victims for a while, but when one produced a screech as loud and panicked as the one from earlier, he tended to leave as quickly as possible.

The girl soon muttered to herself, vividly wishing she didn't have to be so worried as she put down the bag of pancake mix and began making her way upstairs. The last time she'd walked in on Jeff when he was with his victims – before she realized how long he liked to draw things out if they were quiet and was concerned for him – she'd been sick for hours.

"Just gonna stop at the bedroom door. Not looking in again or he's cleaning up whatever comes out of my stomach." With a wry smirk, she hummed slightly. "And here I thought I had a strong stomach when it came to gore."

Soon the teenager was at what she assumed was the victims' bedroom, since it was slightly ajar, and knocked gently. However, no reply came and she rolled her eyes.

"Jeff, if you're trying to make me come in there, I swear I'll throw up on _you_…. Jeff?" Soft sobbing caught in her ears and Jakara frowned, realizing the noise wasn't coming from the room she was at. She moved down the hallway, following her ears before stopping in front of another door – this one half open.

Peering inside, she saw Jeff sitting on a bed that held a small boy with chocolate-brown hair and emerald eyes. She began to turn, sure there was about to be bloodshed, but then her eyes caught on what was wrong with the picture.

Jeff's knife hung limply in his left hand, dripping blood but not positioned to kill. In fact, it was strange enough because she knew the murderer was right-handed. Second, now that she was paying more attention, she realized that her friend was breathing strangely.

The sobbing was definitely coming from the child, who looked around twelve or thirteen, but Jeff's inhalations looked unsteady and difficult to execute, while his exhalations were heavy and trembling. It was like…he was trying to not cry?

"Jeff?" He jerked, but didn't move his head. Jakara couldn't see the killer's face because of his thick black mane, but she didn't need to. She was attuned to his emotions. She knew he was upset.

The girl carefully, silently approached, reaching forward to gently place her hand on his shoulder. Almost the instant her fingertips made contact with the rough fabric of her friend's hoodie, he gasped and spun while bringing his knife up.

With a gasp of her own and a choked down cry, the sixteen-year-old backed up, holding her bleeding hand tightly and staring with wide eyes at Jeff, who looked as startled as she felt.

"J-Jackie, I-I'm…" The faint sound of police sirens brushed their ears and the couple's heads snapped toward the wall nearest the sound.

Before the girl could comprehend it, her boyfriend was dragging her out of the room with a firm grip on her arm, leaving the child to sob uncontrollably, completely unharmed.

A mumble from Jeff was drowned in the siren's wails, and Jakara finally pulled her arm free so she could move properly.

"What?" He glanced at her, frowning, and just shook his head, still muttering incoherently.

With another long, hard sigh, the brunette just decided to be glad for the child and brush off Jeff's bad mood as a result of one of his victims surviving, though that was completely his own fault in the first place.

_I'll just assume he's being an idiot as usual and bug him about it later. He'll talk once he's cooled down._

That was, _if_ he cooled down.

* * *

Jakara flopped into an armchair, sighing and resting her chin upon her crossed arms on the armrest. She wasn't in so much of a bad mood as completely confused with why Jeff was acting the way he was. He'd been moody for two days, ever since he'd frozen at the young boy's bed.

Every time she tried asking him about it, he just grumbled too quietly for her to make anything out before stalking off with his hands shoved in his pockets and his shoulders hunched. He was unresponsive to joking and didn't really say much of anything. The only especially normal thing about him was that he still snapped at anyone who pissed him off and pushed others away. And beat the living daylights out of Dirk a couple times before E.J. and Liu had dragged him off the unfortunate ghost.

"Problems, sweet?" She glanced irritably at Laughing Jack, who was grinning with a lollipop caught between his sharp teeth, leaning against the wall leisurely.

"Sure." That actually kept the monochrome killer quiet for a little while and his smile disappeared.

_Jackie must really be down. She didn't even complain about the nickname!_

Jakara heard approaching footsteps and turned her head as her lips parted to verbally smack away whoever was foolish enough to approach her right then, but couldn't say much of anything as a cherry-flavored sucker was shoved in her mouth.

"Mmff!" She glanced up questioningly at L.J., slightly concerned as to whether he'd just given her something poisonous, but she realized that the candy tasted _really_ good and she needed a cheer up.

The flavor reminded her of when she was a little kid, playing with Jacy in the park as their parents came lumbering over and pretended to be evil giants about to eat them as the two girls ran away squealing.

"There, now, that's better. So what's eating you, cupcake?" The girl just couldn't find it in her to even glare anymore and sighed, bowing her head and closing her eyes in preparation for explaining everything.

"Ngh, I'm not the one getting eaten. Whatever's gnawing on Jeff's been bugging me, though. Is he always like this when a victim survives?" The clown tilted his head, not expecting this.

"Um, he's usually pissed and goes back to finish that person off if he can, but he doesn't tend to be like this. What happened?" With another sigh, Jakara buried her face in her arms for a few seconds.

"Heck if I know. He was taking a while and when I found him, he was sitting on a bed over this kid. His knife wasn't even in the right hand or up and ready to kill, it was just hanging there beside him. Whatever the cause, he didn't finish the kid when we heard the police coming, he just grabbed me and we ran." For a short while, they remained silent. L.J. was deep in thought and, for once, serious, while the teenager just tried to reorganize her thoughts.

Bandages were wrapped around her right hand, hiding the large, deep gash on the back of it.

"Anything that noticeable about the brat?"

"Not really. He looked terrified, he was crying, whimpering, leaning away. Pretty much acting like you'd think he would. He looked only twelve or thirteen, but I'm not sure Jeff really has much of an age preference when it comes to killing…"

"Well, I wouldn't know, and I don't really get what the problem is. By the way, you'll be paralyzed from the neck down for about twenty minutes." Jakara's eyes widened and she tried moving her arms, then her legs. It was like when her foot fell asleep, but this time it was almost her entire body that was numb and unresponsive.

"L.J.! What the heck?" He snickered, though pouted like a small child when the girl spat out her lollipop.

"What a waste of good candy!"

"You freakin' poison me and _that's_ what you have to say? Why did you even do this?" She tried as hard as she could to stand up, but she barely even moved.

"You were so tense! I couldn't stand seeing you like that, so I gave you something to relax."

"Jack!" Her voice had dropped to a hiss as she looked around nervously. "What if Dirk finds out? I can't do anything like this! I'm a fricking sitting _duck_!" That merely caused the clown to laugh maniacally.

"A cute duck, too. Don't worry, just take a nap. Ol' Jack'll keep you safe."

"Why am I not convinced? You woke me up by _kissing_ me once!"

"It was pretty nice, too."

"L.J.!" He simply cackled again.

* * *

"Screw it, Jeff, what's the problem? Come on, how long are you gonna keep moping?" Jakara grabbed the killer's shoulder and spun him around so he had to face her. But he just sneered, looking angry and spiteful with so little difficulty.

"That's ironic, coming from you." She actually stepped back once from his tone. He sounded…well, she wasn't sure how to put it. Accusatory? Disgusted?

"I'll pretend to know what you mean. Seriously, what's wrong?"

"Why do you have to keep doing this? Why do you have to keep shoving your nose into my business? Huh?!" That shout just about did it and the brunette backed up against the wall, cerulean eyes as wide as they could go.

"You've been acting upset. I-I was worried." He mumbled something and she frowned, leaning in. "What?" He muttered it again and she finally caught the one word she hadn't been able to hear him saying all this time.

"Liars."

Before she could comprehend what he meant, Jeff roughly pushed her away and started down the hallway, calling over his shoulder for her to leave him alone. But the way he said it scared her, because in that harsh, angry tone it made him sound like he was saying 'never come near me again'.

* * *

"To think there would ever be a point in my life I'd actually worry this much about a boy…" Jakara huffed slightly, a small smile playing upon her lips. "Ugh, what the heck. Liars? Why does…who are liars?" Her silence stretched on as her fingers habitually played with the cross adorning her necklace.

She was sitting on the cottage's roof, trying to think and finally getting a good bit of sunlight. She'd changed her sleeping pattern drastically since moving into the mansion, often napping when she could and sleeping mainly in the morning, since night was when most activity occurred. Sunlight wasn't one of her most common luxuries.

_"Hehe, LIARS! LIARS!"_

She blinked at the memory, then other words finally pushed their way back to the front of her mind.

"No...who _were_ liars?"

_"Aren't I beautiful? HUH?! AREN'T I?!"_ That was when her brain clicked and pieces began falling into place.

_"Mom found me. Lied and tried getting dad to kill me."_

"Lies. Liars. Why did the k—"

_"She lied and I made sure she couldn't lie again! Her and dad both! Then I went to my brother's room. Heh, he didn't like my new face. He hated it, so I told him to go to sleep."_

"Oh…" That was it. There was the final piece.

The child Jeff couldn't kill. That kid had green eyes and hair shaded almost exactly like Liu's. It must have been a strong sense of déjà vu for her friend to be sitting over a boy around the age Liu had been when Jeff had become a murderer and look into those tear-filled, green eyes shadowed by chocolate-shaded bangs.

"Nngh, time to speak with brother dearest." She glanced forlornly at the brilliant blue sky, but simply sighed and carefully made her way back inside the building


	21. Worry

_A.N. ~ hey, just reminding you guys that I own none of the Creepypastas, just my ONs._

* * *

"You're sure?" Jakara blew out a long sigh, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and one leg bent while Liu sat forward in his chair.

"No, but it's all I can think of with what little I know. For one, he's been muttering 'lairs' for almost three days straight, and the only time I've heard him really express any hatred for them was when he was telling me about what happened when his sanity snapped. And the part where that kid has eyes and hair pretty much exactly like yours." Her voice trailed into a softer, almost inaudible tone. "He probably looked like you five years ago."

With a start, the girl realized that she'd just said that aloud and probably loud enough for Liu to hear her and crimson grew on her cheeks.

"Sorry, that was—"

"It's fine. I don't mind. And you're right, that's probably it. I mean, he tried killing me, so maybe he really regretted it and something triggered it? Er, does that sound arrogant?" He was the one blushing now, self-consciously rubbing his bangs out of his eyes.

"No. And you're probably right. He probably felt really guilty about it." Then she paused and groaned sitting on the floor and momentarily pushing her face into her legs while pulling her hood up. "Or we're not right and it's a completely different reason. Nngh, the last time I asked him he got pretty mad. Why can't we be telepathic?"

"Because that'd be a huge invasion of privacy and we'd probably get sick of hearing other people's thoughts."

"Kk, true. Selective memory reading? Ah, better stop wishing for the impossible and start worrying more about what we _can_ do." For a long stretch of silence, Liu had an expression of intense focus, until he finally sighed long and low.

"I'm not sure there _is_ anything we can do." Almost immediately, Jakara's head lifted and the boy's eyes widened at her determined, intense gaze full of frustration. Her fingers curled to tightly grip the fabric of her favored black hoodie.

"Don't. I'm not saying Jeff's gonna be easy to help when he's being stubborn about it, but there's no way we can just…give up." Her bravado shattered and her chin dropped back on her knees.

"Who says he even _needs_ help?"

"Let's see. He hasn't eaten _once_ as far as I can tell since we got back, barely drinks anything, I'm willing to bet he hasn't slept much, since when something as small as even bad whether usually keeps him up. Ugh, this is really getting annoying." She contemplated punching the wall, but she wasn't in the mood for another broken hand after the last time.

"Hmph," a small smile replaced Liu's straight lipped expression. "You really love that idiot, huh?" Jakara flushed slightly and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but still nodded.

"And since you're still talking to me about this, you too, right?"

"Yeah." They shared a long exhale before looking around the small study they were in.

Little did either of them know Dirk was leaning beside the door with a smirk on his face at the information he'd just gathered.

* * *

"What do you want?" Jeff's hard, exasperated tone only made Dirk chuckle – much to the ire of the scarred killer.

They were in a small block of abandoned buildings, which – after much arguing – the ghost had convinced Jakara's friend to follow him to.

"Just to tell you you're a scumbag."

"Pff, that's ironic coming from you."

"I didn't kill my own brother and parents. Or, should I say 'kill my parents and permanently scar my brother who I tried to kill'?" Almost immediately, Jeff tensed and gripped the handle of his knife tightly.

"Shut up."

"I mean, how much hatred and anger do you suppose Liu must feel? I wonder how it must have felt for him to be lying there in bed as his beloved brother who he trusted so much stood over him with a knife and hurt him."

"SHUT UP!" Jeff charged, swiping his knife. But in his frenzied state, Dirk found little difficulty in dodging the blade.

"Think about what he felt like all those years, alone and hurt with permanent reminders on his face of what his brother – you! – did to him! The heartache of losing his parents and knowing he lost his brother, who had done it!"

"Shut up! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" Repeatedly, Jeff tried hurting Dirk, still easily avoided.

"The pain, grief, anger, sadness, all because of _you_!"

"Shut up!"

"Why? 'Cause you don't want to face reality? That's why you're the scumbag."

"STOP IT!"

* * *

"Jaka, you're gonna make a rut in the floor if you keep that up." Ben's voice startled Jakara out of her thoughts and she realized she'd been pacing. Again.

She'd never really done it before, and thought it was unrealistic in shows whenever somebody was walking back and forth like that, but she found the action slightly calming and the repetitiveness of it made her feel like things would be alright.

They were back at the mansion, but Jeff had disappeared near the end of the trip without a trace, leaving his girlfriend to worry and everyone else puzzled.

"Well, it's the floor or my sanity. What little of it there is. But isn't it bothering you? Jeff's been gone for over a week. Without warning." She played with her hair with one hand and toyed with the cross around her neck with the other, chewing the inside of her cheek, fidgeting _and_ still pacing.

The Link-lookalike hadn't seen so many nervous actions jammed into one person before, which was saying something since he drove his victims insane and they were usually nervous wrecks by the time he killed them.

"He's probably just out on a killing spree. Don't worry about it."

"Easier said than done. Wouldn't he at least tell somebody first?" A chuckle escaped Ben and she glanced at him with furrowed eyebrows.

"Jeff doesn't have a habit of being the most responsible guy in the world. He probably got the urge to kill and just left without thinking about it. He'll realize his idiocy and then decide to just keep at it until he's satisfied anyways before coming back and apologizing. It's happened before. Well, except for the apologizing part, but nobody really cared whether he was out for a long time or not."

_Yeah, but he was upset before he left. But…wouldn't that mean he'd need to blow off steam? Nngh, insane people are so hard to understand! Maybe I should just snap my sanity to figure him out._ She face-palmed at her own deadpan humor and grumbled, just causing Ben to sigh before he left her in peace.

* * *

"Problem, love?" Jakara shuddered, already aware of who it was and already mentally preparing herself for torture.

"Go away. And I mean it, Dirk. Leave. My sanity is literally on the brink of snapping without your help." The girl yanked her hood up as far as it could go, glaring at the blond as he approached. Not that he could see her face anymore.

"Come on, you don't have to keep up the act."

"Huh?"

"You can tell me how you really feel. Nobody else is here and I'm not one to squeal. Come on, you're glad Jeff's not here, right? You finally don't have to spend time around that sicko."

"Sicko yourself, jerk. Go away. I can't kill you, but that doesn't mean I'm not capable of putting you in enough pain to make you wish you'd stayed dead." He crouched before the brunette, gently brushing his fingers over the bandages covering her right hand. She immediately jerked away from the contact and tried leaving the chair, but he was standing too close for her to do that. Well, she could always push him away or stab him.

"You still care about him? Or do you just not know how to get out of the relationship without looking bad? It'll be okay, nobody could blame you for it."

SLASH

"AAGH!" Dirk fell back, holding his side as crimson began staining his shirt. Jakara stood up, holding a bloody knife in one hand and slipping into a somewhat ominous position.

"LOOK! I don't know what twisted things go through your head, but GET IT THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL THAT I. DON'T. LIKE YOU! I'm not interested, never have been, never will be. Honestly, if stabbing you and shouting won't get the message across, I don't know what will. Get over yourself and the delusion that you're just the cat's meow and that I couldn't _possibly_ hate you because you're _obviously_ the _oh so wonderful_ god of your little world where everyone loves you and worships what you say and anybody who doesn't obviously isn't supposed to be. SCREW OFF AND LEAVE ME ALONE!" Her voice was laced so heavily with sarcasm that it was nearly sickening to listen to, and Dirk's expression darkened.

"Why don't you just get it? You don't have to be miserable with that Joker frea—"

Jakara grabbed the collar of his shirt and held the tip of her knife to the ghost's neck, ensuring he remained motionless.

"I'm the only one who gets to call Jeff 'Joker', got it you moron? And I love Jeff, hate you, go away. I am halfway to losing it and just gutting you like a fish." E.J., L.J., Ben, Masky, and Hoodie had all been disturbed by the commotion, as well as Slenderman and Sally. Everyone had already heard her previous rant, since she'd basically hollered it at the top of her lungs, and at that point, even the faceless killer didn't really want to stop her. Dirk was starting to be a problem.

"B—"

"No 'buts'! I swear I'm not lying when I say I'm hanging onto my sanity by a thread! Do you know what happens when my insanity takes over?"

"I bet it's really cute," he smirked. That just about did it.

Fog clouded Jakara's mind and she froze before grinning widely, then giggling, backing off to put a hand over her eyes and laugh _hard_. For a moment Dirk thought she was laughing because of the compliment, but then he heard the 'oh no's, 'here we go again', 'crap', and 'I'll get my med stuff' from the others while Slenderman simply sighed.

"W-well, hahaha, i-it starts like this, you know?" The girl laughed again with her tone high, sharp, and deranged. "I grin an-and gig—hehehee, g-giggle a lot, a-a-and then, hahaha, I-I just…" She cackled again, clutching her stomach with one hand before smiling broadly at the injured blond. "Hahehaa, g-go to sleep, jerk." And with that, she plunged towards him.

Dirk rolled, narrowly avoiding the blade before fleeing the room, and the instant he did, Jakara's grin dissipated and she smirked, chuckling again.

"Oops, did I mention that I'm a really good liar?" The other residents stared at her for a few stretched out seconds before L.J. burst into laughter.

"O-oh, Jackie, that is just _precious_! Pffhahah! I-I couldn't tell the difference!" A few nervous snickers escaped the others, though most of them were rather unnerved by what they'd just witnessed.

"So that means we're never going to be able to tell when you're faking it or not?" Ben raised an eyebrow and Jakara grinned again – for real this time.

"Oh, of course you will! If it's for real, I'll face-plant once it ends and act like a half drowned cat for the rest of the day." More chuckles rose, but soon everyone dispersed, leaving her to drop her smile and slump back down in the over-sized armchair.

"Nngh, did I also mention I was lying when I acted cheerful," she mumbled to herself, closing her eyes with a sigh.

"As a matter of fact, you did not." Jakara started, twisting her head to look at Slenderman with wide eyes. She was sure everyone had left, else she would have kept up the facade of being alright.

"I-I…I mean, uh… E-eh…crap." She plunged her fingers into the hair on the back of her head, looking down with a blush. The door closing caught her attention and the girl was instantly alert, wondering if she was in danger.

Maybe Slenderman was going to scold her for attacking Dirk? Maybe he was angry she was making a fuss. Maybe he thought she was overreacting? …maybe he was going to chase her off or kill her now that Jeff wasn't around.

However, the slim creature observed her tense body language – easily able to recognize it from living with the other killers – and if he had a face, his expression would have softened considerably.

"I mean no harm, child. However I wish to know, are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, just a bit worried for Jeff." She smiled slightly, though the stress of the past week was starting to show through the bags under her eyes and exhausted demeanor.

"He will be alright. Jeff is not a child." For a moment, some of the girl's sarcasm came back and she managed to grin a little.

"You're sure?" Slenderman paused a couple seconds before softly chuckling and shaking his head. He had to admit, Jakara definitely had good sense of humor.

"As a matter of fact, I cannot be certain." He extended a hand and before the teenager could even think, a warm hand with strong, gentle fingers was on top of her head, ruffling her hair. "However, I am sure he will return healthy soon."

* * *

_A.N. ~ Jakara can be such a troll *troll face*. Man, I'm getting sick of Dirk, and _I'm _the one who made him up! *Face palm*_


	22. Family

It had been so long. So long since Jakara had felt the touch of a father. So long since she'd felt the warm caress of a hand disproportionately large compared to her body covering her head and giving her comfort, even if it was brief.

Almost as soon as Slenderman had bid her farewell, the girl slowly stood up and wandered to her room, closing the door behind her before collapsing onto her bed and crying.

She cried tears of happiness at the sense of acceptance she'd just experienced, tears of stress because of Jeff and frustration at her inability to find or check on him…tears of anger towards Dirk, and maybe even some for her boyfriend for up and leaving with absolutely no forewarning at all.

She wept, soaking the pillow and not caring in the slightest, and finally she drifted off, still crying even after she had entered sleep's caring embrace.

* * *

"Jeff, I'm hitting you so hard when I find you," Jakara mumbled, stalking through the city with her hands shoved in her hoodie's pocket. She'd finally gotten to the point of just leaving the mansion to search for her friend.

Smile whined slightly, nosing her leg as though to protest the idea of actually harming the scarred killer. The girl chuckled and leaned over slightly, scratching between his ears with a small smile.

"It's okay, bud. I won't actually. But I might yell a little. Pff, he's a real pain, isn't he? Maybe we should get him a collar and leash." But the dog only growled again and received rolled eyes. "No jokes at his expense, huh? Okay, fine. Can you pick up his scent anywhere?"

The husky began sniffing around, walking back and forth before sighing with a disappointed shake of his head.

"Alright, we'll just keep going, then…"

* * *

"Nngh, these kitchen raids are getting old. Seriously, people's houses are _way_ too easy to break into," Jakara mumbled, taking a bite of one of the doughnuts she'd snatched from somebody's fridge while Smile pattered along beside her, gnawing on a large cut of ham that had also been stolen.

The dog suddenly stopped in his tracks, dropping the meat and drawing the girl's full attention. The husky _never_ wasted meat. He loved it too much to do such a thing. And yet the grinning canine was sniffing frantically and walking around.

Smile suddenly barked a couple times and broke into a run, followed by Jakara as she called his name and demanded to know what was wrong.

All she could do, however, was follow the creature for several blocks before entering an ancient, abandoned apartment building.

They made their way up to the fourth floor and finally, at the end of a hallway beneath a boarded-up window, Jakara saw what had caused Smile to become so agitated, and the box of doughnuts in her left hand dropped to the floor.

The girl was used to blood at this point. In fact, she barely ever noticed it anymore. And she was _definitely_ used to seeing Jeff covered in blood, but not like this. He didn't look normal like this.

Without a moment's thought she began running, stumbling over herself in her rush to the other teenager. His sleeves were soaked crimson and the fingers of his right hand were loosely touching the handle of his blood-covered knife.

"J-Jeff? Jeff, what happened? Jeff?" He slowly looked up and the brunette gasped, eyes widening.

His carved-in smile was now bloody and fresh, making it clear his cheeks had been cut again. With a sense of horrible realization and premonition, Jakara grabbed one of his bloody hands and pulled back a once-white sleeve.

The sight that greeted her flooded the sixteen-year-old's eyes with tears as they took in her friend's stained skin. Cuts of varying sizes and depths were criss-crossing his forearms and she could barely see them for all the blood. The other arm, when she checked, was just as bad.

"Jeff, wh-wh…what happened?" Smile galloped over and almost instantly began licking his master's arms, lapping up the blood to reveal the damage completely. It wasn't a pretty sight.

"Wh-what's wrong?" The killer's voice rasped; not in a way that made it sound like he hadn't talked in a while, but more like he'd worn his vocal cords down until they couldn't bear any more use. "Don't I look beautiful?" He coughed weakly and Jakara did the only thing her shell-shocked brain could manage to bring to mind. She leaned forward and gently hugged him.

"You look great, Jeff. But not like this. You don't look good in your own blood. Wh-who did all this?" Smile nudged his way between them before settling on the killer's other side to clean Jeff's left arm.

"Well, I did, of course. Can't you get Smile to stop it already?"

"You can't keep losing blood. You're in pretty bad shape."

"B-but I don't want t-to stop bleed—" Jakara's palm lightly flicked against the side of her friend's head, cutting him off as her tears increased.

"Don't finish that. Don't you dare finish that! What the heck?! You…Jeff," her voice dropped into a whisper, "why?"

"B-because I deserve it." Smile growled, finishing with his licks.

"Man, you're a real idiot, aren't you? Smile, go get Slenderman. Hurry!" The husky almost immediately began running while the girl began helping Jeff stand, catching his knife and placing it in her pocket. It was slightly nostalgic really, how she was once again helping Jeff after finding him badly injured in a rundown area.

"Jackie…stop." The girl sighed, ignoring her friend as she began moving along with him in tow. "Stop. Leave me."

"Shut up." The killer weakly glanced at her, somewhat surprised at her tone and choice of words. His muddled brain could only accept that this was a completely Jakara-like reply to such a request and he slightly smiled.

* * *

"He'll really be alright?" Jakara tilted her head at E.J. and he nodded, glancing over his shoulder at the door to the room Jeff was resting in.

"Yeah. The blood loss wasn't nice, but as long as he doesn't move too much and eats a lot, he should be okay. Just don't let him stress out too much."

"Right. I'll make sure he knows I'll punch him if he freaks out at all."

"Because _that_ will definitely keep him calm."

"Absolutely."

Shrugging, Jack slipped past, leaving Jakara to quietly enter Jeff's room and pad over to his bed.

She examined his face with soft eyes, taking in the angry red smile carved into his cheeks, then his arms wrapped in bandages, and finally his steady breathing.

"Jeff…" Sighing, she lay on top of the blankets beside him, carefully placing an arm over her friend's chest while holding his hand in her free one.

* * *

Jakara yelped as she tumbled out of the bed, blinking and rubbing sleep out of her eyes as she sat up. As soon as she could see properly, she was met with a glare from Jeff, who was propping himself up on one elbow and panting.

"Um, good morning to you, too. Did I deserve that?" Instead of answering his friend, the killer rolled so his back was facing her.

_Ohh, greeaaat. Back to ignoring me and acting like a mute jerk, huh? Screw this._

"Don't even think it. Jeff, you're upset about Liu, right?" He stiffened and the girl sighed, sure she'd hit her mark. Then she paused for a minute to decide how to continue. "Well, good. You should." He tensed even more, trembling slightly. "Yes, you hurt your brother. So apologize. Ask for his forgiveness instead of moping about it or trying to run away with your own death!"

"Shut up."

"No! Because if you don't face this now, it'll only get worse! I can't even imagine how you must feel, but I know that trying to avoid facing the problem isn't going to help! Talk to him! Liu's here, he's not angry with you. We talked earlier, Jeff, before you ran off. He was worried for you. As much as I was. He cares."

"Shut up!"

"Why?! Because you wanna wallow in self-disgust? Or because you're too afraid of the past to acknowledge what you did and make amends?"

"I said shut up, Dirk!" Jakara's face twisted into confusion and anger before realization and fury while Jeff simply pulled the blankets over his head.

"Jeff, did Dirk do something?"

"…"

"Jeff, what'd he do?"

"Leave me alone."

"J—"

"I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!"

_So much for not stressing…_ With a silent sigh, the girl slunk out of the room before raising her chin and purposefully striding down the hallway, looking back and forth repeatedly and pausing to knock on Dirk's door.

With no reply, she continued on her way, down the stairs and into the kitchen before checking the study. She noticed Liu and marched over, waiting silently yet brimming with barely contained emotion as he put in a bookmark and raised an eyebrow.

"You look really angry. Did I—"

"I don't know what he did, but Dirk said something that's the reason for Jeff leaving. Help me find him." With no further explanation, the scarred killer stood and the two split up, convening only a few seconds later in the living room, where Dirk was watching TV beside Ben.

The blue-eyed ghost lost a sharp cry of surprise when suddenly he was dragged by his collar from his seat and thrown onto the floor.

"What did you do?!" He stared, dumbstruck at Jakara's furious expression with a growing sense of doom.

"U-uh, what are you—"

"Maybe I wasn't clear enough." She squatted and grabbed his collar again, dragging his face only an inch from hers. "What. Did. You. Do?"

"Um, a lot of things. Which one are you—"

"What did you say to Jeff and give me a good reason for why I don't just assume it was bad and kill you now." Sweat beaded on Dirk's face as he stared into the teenager's blazing eyes, and he stumbled for words while Liu watched silently and Ben stared, just as surprised as the other poltergeist was.

"I-I-I don't know wha—okay, okay! No need for that!" He raised his hands imploringly and Jakara put the knife she'd begun to draw back in her pocket.

"You're a coward. Now talk." The sixteen-year-old stood and crossed her arms, watching unpityingly as Dirk sat up shakily.

"I j-just—"

"Don't lie, I'm not an idiot." With a sigh, he smirked and regained some of his usual cockiness.

"Well, let's just say I made him face facts. Took him aside and told him to own up to what he did to you, Liu, and your parents." He nodded to the scarred murderer, who only began to look angry at his words.

"Meaning you took one of the few things in this world he feels remorse for and shoved it in his face?" Jakara's voice had dropped into a far more quiet tone, but that only seemed to convey her anger more.

"No, I told him the facts and he lost it."

"And did you also write the word 'guilt' onto a stone and beat him with it? Knowing you, you rubbed it in until he couldn't take it." For a moment, a flash of what looked like confirmation to the girl brushed Dirk's face and her hands balled into fists. "That does it. I'll apologize to Slender later. For now, I'm too pissed to care." And with that, she drew her knives out and advanced towards the guilty ghost, who began backing up on his hands and feet before scrambling upright.

Liu grabbed him, however, and slammed the older male against the wall with a painful thud, drawing back one hand to throw a punch with a look of pure hatred over his face.

"I forgave Jeff! I _told_ him I didn't hate him! You lying little—" But Dirk was fast enough to jab the furious brother with his elbow and squirmed free, fleeing and promptly pursued by Ben, Jakara, and Liu, all ready to kill him.

* * *

"Jakara? Jaka? Jackie? Jack? Kara? Kar? Hellooooo, Jackie? Can you hear me? Hey, Jackie! Hey, hey, hey Jackie! Jackiieee. Jackie! Jackie, come on, answer me! Jaka? Pleeeaaaaaase? Jaaackieee."

WHAP

Toby stumbled back, rubbing his cheek and staring at where Jakara was still curled on her side in one of the many over-sized armchairs of the mansion, ignoring him despite the swift punch she'd just delivered.

"Jackie, I know you can hear me. Come on, explain. Explain, explain, explain, ex—"

"Shut up and go away before I actually hurt you, Toby." The killer paused and tilted his head, shoulder jerking to add to his confused appearance. That had _definitely_ been the first time Jakara had ever threatened or even spoken harshly to him.

"But Jackie, I wanna know what happened! Dirk ran away and hasn't come back and Ben won't talk about it. And why aren't you with Jeff, huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? You're always with Jeff! Especially when he isn't feeling alright. Come on, Jaackieee!"

"TOBY! I don't feel like talking. Just ask Liu about it or something." She sighed heavily and the twitching teenager left the room in almost the same manner as the one you'd expect a dog with its tail between its legs would.

"You're quite prickly today, Jakara." The girl glanced up meekly to see Slenderman standing with his hands folded neatly behind his back and just nodded. "I would appreciate you telling me why it is Dirk is gone."

"…He emotionally terrorized Jeff. As far as we can tell, that's why Jeff ran off. Liu and I confronted Dirk and he admitted to it. We just snapped and he ran so we didn't kill him. I'm just…really not happy right now." She tucked her head in to hide her face and seemed to curl up even tighter, causing the faceless creature to approach.

"I see. And how is Jeff?"

"Depressed. Angry. I can't even go into his room without being told to leave immediately. He's not taking this well…" She began shaking slightly and Slenderman gently picked her up in his massive hands before gently hugging the girl against his chest.

She blinked a few times, flinching slightly at the sudden contact, before starting to release the pent-up tears she'd been holding for hours and gripping his shirt tightly. The tall killer held her with one arm and rubbed his free hand up and down her back, murmuring soothing words as she wept and, with a slight shake of his head, acknowledging the fact that he'd accepted her as one of his own.

_She is no killer, but she is certainly a part of this family. She is Jeff's support and partner, Ben's friend, Sally's older sister, Smile's secondary master, Eyeless Jack's younger sibling, L.J.'s…perhaps I don't know what she is to L.J…. And my proxies' friend as well. And she is my daughter._


	23. Regrets

_A.N. ~ hey, guys! Thankfully my wrist was only minorly sprained and it just hurt to type for a few hours, so now I can write again! ^^ With that said, I hope you like the new chapter and I apologize for the wait._

* * *

"Jeff? Jeff, I swear on my life, I'm not angry at you. Jeff, please…" Liu stood in the doorway, green eyes softening when his brother remained unresponsive. "Jeff?" Jakara, standing slightly behind the brown-haired killer, muttered to herself before nudging her way past him and marched to her boyfriend. She easily blocked the flimsy swipe of his hand when she sat next to him.

"Enough! Self-pity is tolerable to a certain degree but now you're starting to give the freakin' _drama-llama _a run for his money. Jeff, can you not hear Liu? He's right there telling you the blatant truth and you're acting like he isn't even in the room. Haven't you considered you're hurting your brother more by acting like this than you did by attacking him?" The pale teenager froze, as though her words had flipped a switch inside his head, and he began trembling again.

"H-how could you forgive me? For what I did, I…I-I shouldn't even…" Jakara was guided out of the way and Liu bent over to drag his brother into a tight hug.

"Imagine if we'd switched places five years ago and tell me honestly if you'd've hated me." Jeff's shaky breathing caught in his throat and he began shivering even harder, prompting the girl to silently tread out the door and down the hallway.

* * *

The late afternoon sun cast golden light over the trees, turning their leaves into gorgeous shades of light green to contrast the azure, clear sky. A soft breeze canceled out the full heat of the day, so it was far more tolerable and comfortable.

And yet the beauty was wasted on Jakara as she lay on her back, one arm cushioning her head and the other slung over her eyes. All that was on her mind was whether Jeff would be okay, and if Liu had finally convinced him that things were really alright.

_What if this still isn't enough? Jeff almost killed himself, and what's to stop him from—_finishing the thought was just too painful. Even _thinking _of her friend trying to commit hurt beyond belief and the girl's breath hitched in her throat.

"Please don't…" her soft whisper mingled with the breeze and tears began slipping out from under her arm and tangling in her hair.

With no audible warning to tell her of another person's approach, a gentle, rough finger brushed against the small trail of liquid on her right cheek, leaving a cold smear of moisture behind. She nearly pulled away and sat up, but when the same finger caught the tears on her other cheek, the brunette almost instantly recognized its owner.

"Hey now, there've been enough tears coming out of that pretty little head of yours, don't you think?" There was her confirmation.

"Same goes to you." She slowly sat up, smiling and rubbing away what was left of the water on her face before promptly being dragged into a hug by the scarred killer. "You're okay now?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Feeling better at the moment, but that might be because you're hugging me." A soft chuckle came from above her and Jakara glanced up to meet the storm-grey eyes she was so mesmerized by.

"Sorry." She tilted her head right to left; not in a shaking way, but more in a manner that made her look like a bobble-head toy that was in deep thought. The girl suddenly smiled and pecked Jeff on the cheek before snuggling up against him happily.

"All's forgiven. But I'm banning you from pointy objects for a while."

"Oh, come on!"

* * *

"So you really sent that jerk packing, huh?" Jakara nodded with a slight smile, arm brushing against Jeff's as they walked along. An empty backpack rested over one of her shoulders and a pair of knives sat in her pocket.

"Well, Liu and Ben helped, but yeah, Dirk's a real coward, no doubt. Ran off and hasn't come back since, so he's either lying in wait for us and we're gonna end up fighting him sometime soon or he just ran for the hills." The half-moon gave some illumination as the teenagers meandered down a sidewalk and watched silently as they chatted.

"Hm, let's hope he decided to fight us. I feel like killing him again."

"Can you even kill a ghost?"

"Can't hurt to find out."

"Unless he's persistent. Then we'd be stuck fighting an enemy that doesn't die." With a sigh, the two continued on their way until Jeff decided one house would be a good place to try. So he and Jakara split up, one carefully climbing to a bedroom window while the other silently entered the kitchen.

However, as soon as the girl was inside, she gasped and slammed a hand down over her mouth to hold in a startled shout upon seeing a man lying on top of the table, bleeding from his abdomen and dragging in deep, rough breaths. Looking slightly to the side, she saw a dark silhouette of someone.

The girl instantly drew her knives, tensing and planning out an escape route while drawing in a lungful of air to call Jeff.

"Wait, wait! Hey, it's just me. Wait!" The figure frantically waved a hand and stepped into the light from a window to reveal his black hoodie and dark blue mask.

"E-E-E.J., I almost had a heart attack!"

"If you did, could I have your kidneys?"

"There isn't anybody here!" Jeff's frustrated call caused both the other teenagers to start and they swiveled their heads to watch him descend the stairs.

"Yeah, guess who got to your victim's kidneys first." Jakara put away her knives and straightened, blowing out a long breath of tension.

"Sorry, Jeff. Didn't know you were gonna be here," the cannibal shrugged, glancing somewhat guiltily at the bloody kidney in one of his hands.

"Eh, have a party. We're gonna move on, then." Jeff began moving toward a window, but paused when the girl strolled over to the fridge and sighed.

"I heard that. And what I find here might be what you're eating tomorrow, genius." She swiftly browsed through the options, then checked the freezer before muttering to herself and closing the doors. "Or this person lived off water."

"Well, I'm sure the next victim won't. Come on, at this rate we're gonna be out past daybreak."

"And heaven forbid the vampire king be out _then._" She rolled her eyes, but was already halfway towards the exit.

"Hey, do you wanna be out in broad daylight with a mass murderer?"

"Okay, okay. Good point. Let's go. See ya, Jack." She waved once before hopping out the window like a bird.

* * *

"First it was hunting down a serial killer, now it's hunt down a ghost-filled ship, huh?" Jeff rolled his eyes and Jakara honestly couldn't help but agree.

She enjoyed not being bored just as much as the next maniac, but she was getting the feeling Slenderman was just nicely sending them on a vacation/errand so he could have the mansion mostly quiet and to himself. Well, except for the part where Sally stayed behind, but how bad could one murderous little girl be?

"Well, new area, new less suspecting victims. How often are you as far up north as Lake Huron?" Despite her smile and cheerful demeanor, though, the girl inwardly winced at saying something she knew would most likely contribute to her friend's killing mood.

"Yeah, I'm just more concerned about who we're staying with. Or at least, the nearby brothers of who we're staying with." She tilted her head and cocked an eyebrow.

Ben, sitting in the back of the sort of trailer they were all crammed in was on his DS, both Jacks were sitting here and there, eating their preferred meals while the proxies all talked and Smile Dog dozed in one corner.

"And who were we staying with, again?"

"One of Slender's brothers…Trenderman. He's not so bad. The worst that'll happen is that he'll hound us to wear new clothes that he designed or go shopping with him. Spledorman is just really energetic and happy and…loud." Judging on the wince, Jakara took a wild guess and decided Jeff wasn't too fond of that brother in particular. "I'm just really, _really_ worried about the other one."

"Who is what, Enderman?"

"…Sexual Offenderman."

"What?!" A few of the others glanced at her, but quickly returned to what they were doing and left the pair to continue their conversation.

"If he shows up you stay with me, got it? And do _not_. _Ever._ Smell anything he offers you. Especially a rose." Jeff's face, despite his slightly red, carved-in smile, was dead-serious and she nodded.

"Right. Em, h-how…is Slender seriously related to these guys?"

"Beats me, but they're called brothers, so we just go with it. But I'm castrating Offender if he goes near you." She grinned and snuggled against him more.

"Aww."

"Yeah, yeah, just remember what I said about sniffing whatever he offers. He's usually got a hat, tie, and black overcoat on. Pretty much the usual mustache-twirling outfit you'd expect on somebody like him, so he's pretty easy to tell apart from the others."

"Okay. Uh, h-he's never been near Sally, right?"

"Well, once he was, but that ended with him limping out of the room with a toy train shoved up where it shouldn't have been." She winced and laughed, imagining such an occurrence with minor pity for the brother.

"Remind me to pull a Sally if I'm ever near the guy."

"Nah, pull a Jakara and make it even better."

* * *

"Ack, Jeff, wh—"

"Stay quiet." His tone immediately had Jakara clamp her mouth shut and she waited in dead silence, trying to peek over his shoulder from where he'd stopped abruptly, but a hand tapping her shoulder distracted the girl and she raised an eyebrow at where Masky was shaking his head.

The proxy grabbed her wrist and began guiding the girl to the side and away from the large door of Trender Mansion, but a deep, slick voice froze them in their tracks.

"My, and who's this lovely flower?" She slowly turned, brushing a few of her curly dark brown locks out of her eyes, to face a tall being with a wide grin, pointy teeth, no eyes, and snow-white skin. He had, as Jeff said, a black gangster-like hat on his head, a black tie, and a black overcoat that wasn't buttoned up near the top to show a bit of the creature's smooth chest and collarbone.

_Crap, uh…_ Suddenly, her mind jumped to a scene she'd loved in a show called 'Firefly' where a girl named River had just gobsmacked a man called Badger.

So she smirked and put one hand on her hip, tilting her head and looking up at him with a slightly challenging look on her face.

"You'd like to know who I am, eh?" He nodded, grinning even wider. Jeff began moving, but suddenly L.J. grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't. Not yet. That look means this is going to be _very_ amusing," the monochrome killer hissed.

"Sure, flower, I would."

And thus, in all her Jakara-like glory, the brunette smiled sweetly and leaned forward just enough to tease the tall assaulter. "I'm Sally's friend." His smile dropped almost instantly, though reappeared a moment later with a soft chuckle.

"Oh? And how is that little rascal?"

"She still adores trains and the like." Jeff gulped down a laugh as he noticed how Offender was struggling to keep up his smile.

"She's an interesting kid, I'll tell you that. For you, little flower." He offered a rose and she smiled even more as she accepted it.

"Thank you. Maybe now I can finally get Jeff to stop tossing and turning at night and get a good sleep."

"Hey!" Jakara just winked at her irritated friend before returning her attention to Offender.

"Oh, you two, huh? Got yourself a nice one here, Jeff. Mind if I borrow her for a while?" The burnt killer growled and began drawing his knife, and with a widening smile the lanky creature turned back to the girl, though he realized she was holding a pair of knives as well. "Aw, flower, what happened to my gift?"

"I finally managed to shut L.J. up." Everyone glanced to where the clown was, in fact, standing in a daze with the rose literally tied around his cone nose.

"When did you…" Toby scratched the back of his head.

"I'm a ninja." She giggled, still in that innocent, girlish way that made her seem completely harmless, and a hearty, unfamiliar chuckle drew everyone's attention to the doorway.

"Offender, I'd tell you to leave her alone, but it seems that she's quite capable of handling herself. Hello, miss. I am Trenderman." The newcomer was around eight or nine feet tall and looked just like Slenderman, except that he wore a brown sweater vest, white undershirt, and brown trousers. He took her hand and planted what the teenager guessed was a kiss on it, and she almost immediately decided she liked him.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jakara, but if you'd like to use a nickname, you can."

"Just not Jack. We've already got two of 'em." Ben raised a finger and E.J. nodded, though L.J. was still in the trance of the rose and couldn't add any of his own input.

"Then may I call you Jaka?" She smiled genuinely and nodded. "Perfect! Now, what do you think about crocs?" Groans from the others, along with 'saw that coming' from one or two of them could be heard and she giggled.

"I'm willing to bet you're not that fond of them?"

"Jackie, if you get into a conversation with him about fashion, you're never getting a chance to sleep again," Jeff warned.

"Ugh, they're hideous! Absolutely a big no! Now sandals, those are tolerable, but I simply will _not_ allow crocs! Now Jaka, I've got plenty of designs, but I've had no one to wear them. Would you be a dear and help me with that?"

_Ohh, goodness, what have I gotten myself into?_

"Uhhh…s-sure?" She noticed Jeff face-palming and got a certain sense of absolute regret that made her realize she'd just stepped neck-deep into something she'd probably wish she had never had.

* * *

_A.N. ~ Jakara meets the brothers, huh? Let's see how this ends XD So I know canonically Trender is Slenderman's cousin and Offender is his great uncle, but I wanted them to be brothers, so...brothers!  
_

_Anyway, sorry there wasn't much action in this chapter. There'll be more next go. Aaaand sorry to any of you who like crocs. **And** the...ahem, _incident_ between Sally and Offenderman was coined by my older sister, who is a genius when it comes to comedy. Poor Offender...  
_


	24. My Idiot

"Jackie, Trender, are you coming to eat or n—" Jeff stopped in the doorway of the room said pair had disappeared into over two hours before and just stared with his mouth wide open.

Trenderman spun and waved energetically while Jakara just blushed and looked away. "Ah, Jeff! Perfect timing. Could I get an opinion on this, please? I like it and whatnot, but at the same time…"

The scarred killer didn't respond. He was too busy staring at his friend and the midnight-blue, strapless dress she was wearing. It had intricately woven silver material lining the top and a silver band around her waist, showing off the girl's form rather flatteringly.

"Jeff? Jee-eeff. Well Jaka, you've stunned him into silence. Though, I can certainly see why." Trenderman, they were sure, would have been smiling if he had a mouth and Jakara's blush increased so her face was crimson and she rubbed her right shoulder with one hand nervously and toyed with the silver around her stomach with the other.

_J-Jakara is in a dress. JAKARA IS IN A DRESS! And she looks really good in it, too. Sh-she's…I've never seen her in a dress. I don't think she even owns one. She looks beautiful. Comment? I'd say something stupid or stutter. I must look like an idiot right now! Change the subject? She'd probably just stay quiet and embarrassed for a while and stress if I don't talk about it. Umm…._

For almost a minute, all three of them were spaced out with Jeff trying to think of what to say, Trenderman congratulating himself on such a successful dress, and Jakara still turning every shade of crimson imaginable while inwardly panicking.

_I'm in a dress for the first time. Trender's biased and I don't know what Jeff's thinking since he's gone blank and…oh, g—I'm in a freakin' dress! I'm in a dress, and I feel freaking exposed and it feels so flimsy! Agh, I'm going crazy. B-but, Jeff's seeing me in a dress! AGH!_

"I think you broke your man." Trenderman's soft murmur in her ear caused the girl to jump and she did the impossible and became even redder. "Don't worry, darling, you look absolutely _fabulous_ in that!"

KTCHH

A small flash caused everyone to look simultaneously at the door, where Ben was holding up his phone and smirking. The ghost let out a long, low whistle and Jakara was sure she looked like Jeff had dunked her head in blood.

"Ja-ckie! You look great! The red and blue combo really brings out your eyes." He winked before running away, cackling. "BY THE WAY, DINNER'S READY!"

The interruption, however, seemed to have brought Jeff out of the trance he'd fallen into and he grinned in that darn cocky way the girl had come to always associate with him.

"Ben's right, ya know. You look…well, I'm not sure there's a word for it, but 'amazing' is the closest I can get to it. Wait, is that make-up on you?" She knew she couldn't get any redder, but it felt like her face was on fire as she slowly nodded.

"Poor dear claimed it was her first time wearing make-up _or_ a dress! Goodness knows how that happened with such a model-worthy appearance." And there was the habitual face-palm Jakara used, partially because she couldn't imagine being a model and also because right then she was embarrassed beyond belief.

"Wow, Jackie. I mean…wow. You…wow. You really need to wear more dresses." She just pressed her hand against her face harder and heard Jeff's chuckle a moment before his arms wrapped around her shoulders. "No need to by shy, either. We're all mad here." That finally managed to get the poor sixteen-year-old giggling and her blush began to fade.

"Well, why don't we go eat, then. I'm sure the others will just adore you!" Trender clapped his hands together and both teenagers became very still.

"U-uhh, sh-shouldn't I change first?"

"Oh, but I'd love to hear the others' input!"

"Trender, trust me. Ben's already showed _everyone_ that picture. I wouldn't be surprised if he emailed it to Slender _and_ Offender," Jeff interrupted, drawing a cringe from his girlfriend.

"Oh please, no." He just smirked at her.

"Hm, but a picture can't quite capture the real thing."

"But, uh…" Jakara snapped her fingers as she finally thought of a good excuse. "What if food gets on it? It'd be a shame to ruin such a pretty dress, you know."

"But that's what serviettes are for! Now come along, before the food gets cold!"

* * *

"Nngh, last time I _ever_ wear a dress," Jakara mumbled as she flopped onto her bed in nothing but a pair of pajama shorts and a soft white hoodie Jeff had given her. He said he'd grown out of it, but since it had been Christmas and they both were about the same size, she doubted it was the truth. Either way, it was _extremely_ comfortable and the bed was very soft.

One arm was slung over her eyes while the other hung over the edge limply and her legs habitually went crisscross.

The others had all liked the dress, she and Trenderman received plenty of compliments, but moving around in it was a bit awkward, and when sitting the girl had to be sure not to accidentally pull it down since there were no sleeves or straps.

A weight crashing down beside her had the sixteen-year-old shooting to her feet and reaching for a knife, but a familiar grumble stopped her and she turned around to find Jeff lying on his side with his own arm over his eyes.

"Kk, since when do you walk that quietly when you're tired?" She sat down next to him and stretched with a slightly choked moan.

"Since its habit. I'm especially quiet when it's late and I'm sneaking into a girl's room."

"It's not that la—HOLY CRAP, IT'S SERIOUSLY FOUR IN THE MORNING?!"

"Ugh, shut up. You're too loud sometimes."

"I thought it was ten thirty! Eleven at the latest…"

"You have no idea how often you space out. I think your record was nine hours once, back when we were out on the streets for six months." His mumbled words slurred, and she sighed before taking a wild guess and assuming he decided his room, which was literally right next to hers, was too far.

"I'm a maladaptive daydreamer. Sue me. Now just go to sleep, lazy bones."

"How are you not dead tired?"

"That phrase takes on a whole new meaning when you use it. And I'm me. I usually run on three to five hours of sleep every day. At least get under the covers before you doze off."

"Mff, no." With another sigh, the girl noticed how he was on the very edge of the blanket near the foot of the bed and promptly laid next to her friend, reached over him, then rolled so they ended up tightly cocooned in the blanket, pressed against each other.

"Okay, then. Goodnight."

"Has anyone told you you're a stubborn, sarcastic smarta—" Jakara's lips pecking his for a swift millisecond cut the killer off and he smiled. "Love you, too."

* * *

"So, it was this area, huh?" L.J. looked around the gloomy, tree-and-rock-filled shore of Hudson Bay, somewhat nervously.

"Yeah, Slender said it was in this area. Well, actually he _estimated_ that it was around here somewhere…maybe." Masky shrugged, looking around with his hands on the back of his head.

"Can we just get this over with already? I'm tired of these wild goose chases he keeps sending us on," Ben growled. His arms were crossed and he had a cross expression.

"Aw, you were so ecstatic last time we had another ghost around. Shouldn't a boatload make you happy?" Toby slung an arm around the gamer's shoulders, smiling judging on the crinkling around his eyes.

"Guys, are we hanging around here all day or are we going to where that massive pile driftwood that looks suspiciously like planks about two miles down?" Jakara pointed and everyone froze, squinting to make out the lump.

"How can you tell? It looks like a beaver dam from here," E.J. mumbled. She bent down and picked up a dark square-ish chunk of soggy wood, then pointed out the trail that led both on the bank and in the water towards it.

"That, and beaver dams don't have corner-like edges and they aren't such a dark color." Without further explanation, she began walking over the stones, hands shoved in pockets and hood down so the pale grey light and cold air brushed her skin and caused her cheeks to go slightly numb.

Hurried footsteps resulted in Jeff catching up beside her, and soon the others had joined them. It was a meandering pace and everyone was taking their time. Toby must have found 'a really cool rock!' at least fifty times when they had made it half way, while poor Hoodie had accidentally disturbed and been sharply reprimanded by a raccoon, leaving him with few shallow claw marks in his leg.

But everyone was alive and largely undamaged upon reaching the pile of driftwood – which was, in fact, comprised of planks of wood you'd expect to see on an old, large ship – and everyone was still in fairly good shape energy-wise, since a two mile walk wasn't much compared to their usual levels of activity.

"Ookay, we're here. Now what?" Toby looked around swiftly, causing his neck to pop and shoulder to jerk slightly.

"Um…" Everyone looked at everyone else, then Masky began treading carefully around the pile with his head down. To no avail, unfortunately.

"No tracks."

"They're rocks," Toby reminded.

"No _muddy_ tracks."

"Do ghosts even leave tracks," Jeff mumbled. Ben hummed contemplatively before placing a foot down in front of him, then drawing it back.

"Eh, nope."

"Smile, can you get a scent trail? That wood must smell a bit different," Jakara suggested.

With a few deep inhalations, the husky's tail began wagging as he half-mindedly stumped around the soggy fragments, then spiraling outwards until finally barking and beginning to run down the shore.

"If it's a squirrel, I'm skinning that dog alive," Ben grumbled.

"You try it and I'll skin _you_ alive," Jeff snarled as he drew a knife for emphasis.

"Hey girls, the dog just stopped. If you don't do the same, he's roadkill," Jakara interjected, already slowing down with both Jacks, the proxies, and Ben.

Smile stood ankle-deep in the water, growling and whining, occasionally sloshing around in circles before he would venture deeper and hurriedly return.

"This is where it ends, huh?" E.J. squatted and shoved his hand in the water before drawing it back. "Uh, yeah, that's _really_ not a good idea. We—"

SPLASH

Jakara breached the surface, shaking her head and gasping. "W-well, are you coming or not?" Everyone shook their heads and she sighed. "Fine. I'm gonna look around, then." She tossed her sneakers onto the bank, spraying freezing water all over the place. "Don't lose those."

"Jackie, it isn't even summer yet! You're gonna freeze." She rolled her eyes at Jeff's tone and began swimming out deeper into the lake.

"Yeah, I noticed. You can say 'I told you so' later. Just do something useful."

* * *

"Still not regretting that bold decision of yours?" Jeff grinned cheekily at Jakara, who was stiffly walking along beside him wringing out her hair with chattering teeth and icy droplets falling from her.

"N-none of you w-were gonna do it. B-besides, if I h-h-hadn't, we w-wouldn't have f-found the wreck." She dragged off her water-logged hoodie, handing him her knives before starting to knead the water from it.

The scarred killer observed the goosebumps and her shivering with rolled eyes. "Yeah, you _only_ got hypothermia for that. Here." He tossed his hoodie onto her head and the girl immediately yanked it over her head.

_Warm. Warm. Ooohhh, it's so warm! I hate cold._

"So, we know where the ship is, we know how to find it. Jackie, did you see any ghosts?" Masky tilted his head as she shook hers.

"I couldn't really exp-plore much, but no g-ghosts, as far as I could t-tell."

"Okay, does that mean Slender sent us here for nothing?" Ben scowled, crossing his arms and kicking a stone.

"Well, th-they could have b-been hiding. I ran o-out of breath too f-fast…"

"Hey Ben! Ben, do you need to breathe? Do you? If you don't, can you swim?" Toby bounced a little and the Link lookalike stopped in his tracks.

"Toby, shut it." Jeff smacked the grinning proxy as he walked by, seeming to snap Ben out of his trance.

"Not doing it, Toby," he muttered sullenly.

"Either way, we should hurry it up and get back to the mansion before _someone_ gets pneumonia." E.J. tilted his head pointedly at Jakara, and she nodded, though groaned when everyone began to jog.

"Okay, I'll just hobble along back here then…" Her mumble was only caught by the pair of ears beside her and Jeff rolled his eyes yet again before scooping the sixteen-year-old up.

"You're an idiot," he sighed. She just nodded miserably, and his eyes softened. "But you're my idiot."


	25. Uninvited Guests

_A.N. ~ good to see ya! Been a little while, but here's a new chapter! Oh, and I created my own Creepypasta, so if you're interested in reading her origin story, my Quotev account url has the same name as my account here. Just look up "Ven'aranar Angel Quotev" and click on the published works option. The story's title is 'Karma'._

_Now, I won't keep you away from the new chapter. Please enjoy!_

* * *

"Jackie, you've been in there for nearly half an hour!" Jeff's voice ended in a yelp as a large knife sped past his head and clattered against the wall, leaving thin trail of water droplets behind. "What the heck, Jack?!"

"Oh, sorry. I thought L.J. had snuck in again or you were Offender."

"Grief, you shower armed? Wait, L.J.'S SEEN YOU SHOWERING?!"

"He _tried_ to see me showering, but I was _armed_ with shampoo that squirted at a high velocity from its bottle that could conveniently be aimed at eyeballs easily. And I live with a bunch of psychotic mass murderers. Of _course_ I shower armed. And sorry, I didn't think it was that long. I kinda jumped into a freezing lake, you know."

He sighed, nonchalantly causing a small clatter as the knife connected with the counter. "Yeah, well, that was your own fault. We could've asked Trender to make or find us some swimming gear or something, but you had to literally dive in head-first."

"I'm a straightforward idiot who doesn't like making things last longer than they have to. Sorry that I'm impatient. Now go away so I can dry off and get dressed."

"Sure, sure, just don't take much longer. I'm sorta covered in blood…"

"Don't you have your own shower?"

"Your bathroom and shower water are warm already."

In less than ten minutes, Jakara was in warm pajamas and curled up in bed, drowsily toying with her favorite knife as she idly waited to see where her boyfriend would decide to sleep.

Or at least, she was drowsy until something very cold seemed to slide under the covers behind her and ragged breathing filled her ears.

Her round eyes, as she turned around, observed the translucent, mangled body of a male sailor very, veery calmly a moment before she let out a screech and rolled onto the floor, bringing up her knife and backing up as he shot to his feet.

"Jackie, what's wrong? Jackie?!" Jeff's nearly panicked voice barely registered in her startled mind as she continued backing up.

"U-um…Jeff, c-can… THERE'S A FREAKIN' ZOMBIE GHOST THING IN MY BED!" Said creature grinned evilly before starting to shamble threateningly towards the girl, whose back was now pressed up against the wall and fear was wrestling with her self-control.

_I wanna run, hide, ANYTHING! It's a ghost, it can't die. But what can it do to me? Reach inside my body? Do weapons even work against him? WhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoI—_

Suddenly a knife went flying into the ghost sailor's neck and it tumbled over before evaporating, leaving Jakara to slowly turn her head to where Jeff was dripping with nothing but a towel around his waist. Not that she really cared at the moment, considering her overwhelming terror.

"Are you okay? Did it hurt you? Jackie?" She slowly nodded, swallowing hard.

"I-I'm okay. Um, we better tell the others."

* * *

"…Okay, now the universe is just screwing with us," Jakara mumbled. She started at the creak of the boards beneath her and glanced around the surrounding area nervously.

The moment she and Jeff had left her bedroom, the hallway…well, the best way to describe it would be that the tan walls and carpeted floor flickered and...phased, maybe?...to the likeness of a ship's hold.

"Or you brought the ghosts home with you." Jeff's knife was in his hand and he continued to scan the area continuously for any signs of danger.

"Well, I'd believe that. Crap, we _have_ to find the others and figure things o—ahhh!" The girl snatched for her friend's hand as the floor beneath her suddenly disappeared, but he was too slow and the sort of trap door that had appeared slammed shut, leaving Jakara to land painfully. "Ggh, that was way less fun than Tom and Jerry made it out to be…"

"C-could you please g-get off?" She rolled off a squirming form, observing with wide eyes as Hoodie staggered back onto his feet.

"Sorry, the floor kinda suddenly stopped working. Are you okay?" The shy proxy offered a hand and she accepted, standing with a wince before looking around. She was in a hallway. The hallway you'd expect to see in Trender Mansion.

"Y-yes, but I g-got separated from M-Masky. W-what's going on?"

"Um, I don't really know. Jeff and I had a surprise visit from a ghost sailor and when we went into the hallway, we ended up inside a ship. He said the ghosts might have followed us ba—oh, crap!" She drew out her knives when she took notice of a couple new apparitions stumbling towards them with their swords drawn.

"I-I don't have a w-weapon!" Jakara glanced at Hoodie's cowering form and suddenly all fear was replaced with complete and utter anger as she handed him one knife before stepping between the spirits and the masked killer.

"What do you think you're doing coming here without permission and then terrorizing people who never did a single thing to you, huh?! Go. To. Sleep!" The ghost's stepped back with wide eyes, Hoodie stepped back with wide eyes hidden by his mask, the girl continued looming and began to take slow, purposeful steps towards the now-unnerved intruders.

One of them finally nudged his friend, snapping them out of it and charging towards Jakara, who blocked a sword swing – wondering how she could even do that considering they were ghosts – before jumping back to avoid the second blade.

"Hoodie, if you're not fighting, you're giving me that knife so I don't end up a ghost myself." He immediately handed it over when she got close enough, but suddenly snatched it back and darted towards one of the creatures. With one vicious, well-aimed jab, he dug the weapon into its neck before kicking the remaining phantom and stabbing its chest.

He turned back to the girl, who was staring dumbstruck and he began squeezing one arm nervously. "Thou shalt n-not kill, right?"

"U-um, right, though I don't know if it counts as killing when they're already dead…" Suddenly, the area around them blurred and morphed into the deck of a ship. The air around them was black, the boards were translucent and emanated a pale whitish-green glow, and there were a _lot_ of ghosts around. "Ooohh, crap."

"Oh, hi guys!" They turned to see Toby waving energetically with one hand as a pair of the spirits tied him to a mast.

"Uh, Toby, less waving, more fighting. Don't let them tie you up. And…hi." Jakara backed away from the first phantom to approach and raised her knife threateningly, bumping into Hoodie who had done the same.

"Now then, what have we here? A pretty damsel and her friend, eh?" Both teenager's heads swiveled to observe one of the intruders who wore a tricorn hat and different attire from the others. Though his face and hands were as mangled as all his fellow spirits, this one's coat, shirt, pants, and even his boots were clearly of better make.

_The captain, huh? Wonderful, now I have to deal with my temper _and_ somebody from an era where women were little more than decorations. FAN-FRICKING-TASTIC!_

"Hello, sir. Might I inquire as to why you're tying up our friend and attacking us? It's really putting a strain on the _last shreds of my non-existent sanity_." Hoodie glanced at Jakara and took a few inching shuffles away, though this wasn't missed by the captain.

"I see that's somethin' to be feared, then. Well little miss, we're simply punishing you for trespassin'. Nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"Well, except for the part where you're currently trespassing on _our_ territory, no, it's perfectly alright. So why not explain what _you're_ doing attacking us in _our_ house, huh?"

"J-Jaka, m-maybe you should calm d-down. W-we're outn-numbered and they have s-swords." She glanced at Hoodie and for a moment, her eyes softened before a cocky grin plastered itself on her face and the poor proxy sighed under the realization of what was probably going to happen.

"Those are the odds, huh? Hah, then it must be Christmas! Besides, knives are great counters for swords! Sure, they have bigger blades, but those are useless if you're up close and personal."

"A-are you s-sure you're not T-Toby's s-sister?" Her smile stretched even wider.

"Well now, it sounds like you're looking for a fight, missy." She looked at the captain, still grinning like a maniac, and shrugged.

"Nope, but you sort of started the fighting, what with the times your boys came after us first. I'm just cheerful when it comes to defending myself. And don't like waking up in the middle of the night to somebody I don't know in my room. Regardless, are you planning to keep up your 'punishing' or are we going to part ways all friendly like?"

Hoodie almost face-palmed when she slightly adopted an old western accent and speech-pattern. She loved doing that, especially when she knew something was going to end in violence. Who didn't love sounding like Malcolm Reynolds a moment before you kick somebody's butt?

"Think you can fend off all my men?"

"Can't hurt to try."

"Poor choice of words." The captain flicked his hand and three crewmen all rocketed forward at once, drawing their swords.

"It was. How strange you think we'll stop with just your men. I'm not excluding you from the fun!" She caught a blade with her own before delivering a vicious kick to her opponent's head before spinning and clashing with his friend's weapon, sliding closer and connecting her elbow to his chin.

Hoodie simply ducked and dodged before bashing the handle of his own knife into the older male's temple before kicking his chest.

"J-Jaka…" She glanced at him curiously before realizing he was probably hoping for a plan.

"Sorry, no fancy strategy here. Well, except for the part where we have somebody nearby who could be useful…" She suddenly made a dash for where Toby was struggling and promptly stabbed both his attackers in their backs before cutting him free.

"Yes! So how do I do anything without weapons?" He grinned happily, pumping his fists in the air despite his predicament.

"Weelll…they have swords you can steal?"

"B-but…swords are so…_flimsy_." He picked up the blade of one of the downed phantoms, then frowned. "Why can I hold this? Isn't it a ghost weapon?"

"Why can we cause them physical damage? Heck, I don't know! Just…go nuts." Five more ghouls were approaching, and Hoodie was still dealing with two of his own problems while the captain watched silently. "Christmas indeed…"

* * *

"When does New Years come around?" Toby tugged futilely at his restraints and Jakara grumbled under her breath, glaring crossly at the ropes holding her to the mast tightly.

"Now, ya weren't too nice, girlie. Do ye know how many of my men you just murdered?" The captain lifted up her chin and the brunette promptly twisted and bit his hand as hard as she could, getting slapped as a result.

"Let's see. Considering it was self defense and you're already dead…none? Look, you tried tying us up and 'punishing' us for…why are you even punishing us? _Your_ ship is in _our_ mansion!"

"J-Jaka, you sho-should calm down. D-don't anger our c-captor." Hoodie's soft, nervous voice seemed to get the girl to stop and she sighed, still glaring at the captain despite the fact that she'd stopped the majority of her impulsive emotions.

"Ye invaded our ship first, missy. Unless diving into a lake and fishin' around ain't called trespassin' nowadays." She tried face-palming, but just settled for bowing her head with a sigh.

"Oh, that. Well, ever heard of a 'do not enter' sign? How were we supposed to know you were even around? All we knew was that there was a ship wreck and a pile of planks."

"Let me go! Rrgh, I swear I'm gonna keelhaul you with your own intestines!"

"I know that rant," the girl mumbled a moment Jeff was dragged into view by three very strained-looking ghosts, followed by Liu and Masky who were completely unable to move, since cutlasses were pressed to their necks.

"Great, the whole party's here! Now what?" Toby smiled, though Jakara was able to get just enough leg room to kick him.

"Heh, now we have ourselves a nice show as ye walk the plank." Everyone froze at the captain's words. Even his own crewmembers, though they seemed less terrified and more excited. "And I think THE LASS SHOULD BE THE FIRST TO GO!" Cheers erupted from the spirits and Jeff began struggling and shouting more while his girlfriend simply remained silent, eyes darting around frantically as she took in her surroundings.

* * *

There was a bit of a scuffle, though somebody holding a blade to Jeff's neck managed to quell all rebellion and Jakara was led at sword-point to an ancient rotting board that led out over swirling green mist that resembled boiling water.

And something was moving in it, just out of sight.

"What'cha stoppin' for, Lass? Keep movin'!" She choked on a gasp when the tip of a sword broke the skin on her back, and glanced over her shoulder to where Jeff watching with wide, pleading eyes that seemed to speak.

_"Please don't do it."_

_Sorry, Jeff…_

"MOVE IT!" The girl backed up, teetering on the edge and finally going over the brink, yet catching the wood with one hand.

"Well, captain. Gonna come out here and deal with me? Or chickening out and sending somebody else to do it? Sad little king on his sad little hill?"

_Great, now I'm pulling out the Firefly quotes. But then…River._

With the eyes of everyone on him the imposing leader began fidgeting like a five-year-old in church, looking around before grumbling something and beginning to step out onto the plank, towards the tip where Jakara was dangling with both her hands on the edge.

_Good, he's too stupid to threaten anybody else with this on his mind. Looks like I was right…_

She remembered how many sailors couldn't swim, and had noted how the captain had avoided the edges of the ship as much as possible. Things were quite easily pieced together from there.

As soon as the spirit was standing right on top of the girl's fingers – literally, and it happened to _hurt_ – she drew herself up, gripped the wood firmly with both hands as a silent prayer slipped from her lips, then threw her weight downwards with as much force as possible…and snapped the board.


	26. The Meeting, Part One

_A.N. ~ I just felt like mentioning that this was one of my favorite chapters to write. Don't ask me why, 'cause I don't know. I just liked this one. DON'T QUESTION MY SANITY! Actually, do. You'll live longer that way XD  
_

* * *

**FLASH BACK**

"JAKARA!"

"JAKA!" Cries from all the killers rose as they watched with horror-filled eyes as the girl fell out of sight, bringing the captain with her.

_Jeff, I'm really sorry…_

"J-J…" Jeff's knees connected with hollow thuds against the wooden deck as he stared blankly at the broken plank.

This was one of those times when he sorely wished he still had eyelids. He _needed _to close his eyes. Wanted so badly to shut the world out, because what had just occurred simply couldn't be reality. It was wrong. It had to be. There was no way…

Whispering screeches flooded his ears and everything swirled like a tornado before, in a great rush of wind, the mist blew away to nowhere in particular, leaving everyone in the living room of Trender Mansion.

_Is it…over? But…Jackie's not here. It can't be over.  
_

"J-Jeff?" Liu's small, pleading voice barely registered in the scarred killer's mind, and before he knew it he was running. He didn't know where to, he didn't care. He just wanted to run away from what happened and deny it.

_It can't. Can't. Can't. IT DIDN'T HAPPEN!_

* * *

**PRESENT TIME**

"Jeff, are you listening? JEFF!" Jeff tried blinking in surprise, observing Ben's scowl with a good degree of confusion.

"Nn?"

"Dude, pay attention! I was saying we need to get ready for the Meeting. You know, before Slender has our heads."

"Don't feel like going…" The ghost lost an arduous sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as he reinforced his patience.

"You know we have to go, like it or not. Look, I miss her, too. But it's been three months. She's not coming ba—"

"You don't know that!" Jeff shot to his feet, swiping a hand palm-down for emphasis. "No body, no proof. Got it? Don't talk like she's gone for good!" Without a chance to reply, Ben watched his friend stalk out of the room, flinching a few moments later when he heard a door slam.

_I wish she was here too, Jeff…I just know how to let go._

* * *

The Meeting. Where all of the creatures from all over the world that hide under all of your beds join for a week to exchange information, pleasantries, and discuss whatever they feel like talking about. And where all grudges are put on hold and fights postponed.

But seeing Zalgo for some strange reason gave Jeff a very undeniable urge to break that rule. In fact, Liu and Slenderman almost instantly stepped between the raven-haired killer as the demon approached, despite grumbled assurances like 'I'm not _that_ stupid', or 'I won't do anything'.

Thankfully they were in a clearing devoid of any others since they were on the outskirts of the main site, meaning nobody was around to observe from the thick pine trunks' shelter.

"Ah, Slender. I see you've got all your little brats in order—oops. It seems one is missing." Jeff's fists curled and a low, slightly animalistic growl hummed in the back of his throat.

"And I see you're alone as usual, Zalgo."

"Well, I in fact recently got myself a new servant." Jeff spinning on his heel and stalking away momentarily paused conversation, however it resumed shortly after since he was allowed to go wherever he liked during the Meeting.

"Oh, here she is now."

_Just ignore him…_ But curiosity ended up getting the better of the raven-haired killer and he glanced back, pausing to observe the stranger who wore black skinny jeans, black sneakers, and a dark grey hoodie with the hood pulled up so her face wasn't visible for the most part.

With a jolt, Jeff's mind flashed back to all the times he'd seen Jakara like that and gazed at the similarities closely, eyeing the slight roundness near her chin and the very tip of her nose coupled with the full lower lip.

_Not her. Can't be her. Jackie's…but it looks like her._

She in turn, even if no one could tell, was studying Slenderman and all who'd come with him and frowned at how nostalgically familiar they all seemed. Even before she saw the entirety of Jeff's face, she knew what she'd see. That was definitely strange considering she'd never met him before.

"Edge, is there a problem?" She flinched slightly at Zalgo's voice, then shook her head. "Good. About the other matter?"

"Taken care of," she murmured quietly.

Every single one of Slenderman's accompaniment jolted, and Jeff froze completely while Smile Dog began whining and pacing towards her before backing up.

_That voice…_ Liu's brother began taking slow, slightly unsteady steps towards who Zalgo had called 'Edge', and she held her ground before backing up when he got too close. A massive, clawed black hand fell between the teenagers, drawing Jeff's eyes up to Zalgo's harder red ones.

"Move," the scarred killer rasped.

"Certainly not. Edge likes her personal space."

_So does Jakara._

Smile ran past while the two were distracted, leaping on top of Edge before she could react.

The girl fell back with a nearly silent cry, landing hard on her back as her hood began shifting away. A flash of cerulean eyes was visible a moment before she pulled it up again, but that was enough. They didn't need anymore.

"Jakara," Slenderman murmured. Lightning raced through her mind, blooming into a headache and she leaned back with a slight groan.

"Slender, Slender, Slender. Accept your pet is go—ack!" Jeff had dug his knife into Zalgo's wrist, pulling the blade out and shoving it back inside his hoodie whilst approaching Edge, who'd since shoved Smile off and shot to her feet.

"Jackie?" His rasping voice echoed hauntingly and she doubled over slightly, shoving a hand into her hairline as the word reverberated painfully a thousand times over.

"S-stop it. Whatever you're doing, stop it or I'll kill you." She straightened and drew out a knife from her hoodie pocket, but Jeff continued to advance, straight up until in a moment of blind panic the girl slashed his arm, watching the blood squirt out and only managing to worsen the headache as she fell to her knees with a tight moan.

Flashes of Jeff covered in blood entered her mind. In a dark house. Slightly ahead of her as red and blue lights flashed from behind. In an old factory as tears fell from his face.

_"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I had to leave. I-I-I was going crazy, and I already hurt you so much…"_

"Jackie?! Jackie, are you okay?" The moment warm arms began closing around her shoulders, Edge's right hand slammed against Jeff's chest and he tumbled back, staring with both shock and hurt as her breathing continued to rasp unsteadily.

"Zalgo, is that Jakara?" The demon glanced at Slenderman nonchalantly, completely unimpressed by his hard voice.

"I'll only say this one more time. Her name is Edge."

"B-but Smile re-recognizes her, and sh-she sounds l-like Jaka…" Hoodie flinched when the demon's blazing eyes fell upon him and Masky took a protective step between them.

"Jackie, please…Please…" Jeff tried getting closer, but once again Edge shoved his chest despite her trembling.

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

"That's your name. Jakara. You-you love chocolate, and like showering at night instead of the day. You're an expert with knives, and great a-at cooking, and you're Christian, and…" At this point, his throat had tightened to the point where he was practically choking out the words. "You're right-handed, but ambidextrous when you're using knives. Y-your favorite color's blue, and you like rock music. Y-you were bullied, and you're sarcastic, and you don't get afraid easily, and…" He bowed his head, tears slipping down his leathery cheeks without bidding.

Edge was clutching her head with both hands by then. Strangely enough, everything he'd said had rung true in her mind and increased the headache greatly whilst Zalgo had started walking swiftly forward.

He grabbed her under her armpit, lifting her up and continuing to walk whilst her thoughts had her immobilized.

"L-let…go of me," she murmured, staggering the words.

"What?"

"Let go…I need to think…I can't think about this moving around…" He ignored her, continuing on their way.

"Stop thinking about it, Edge. He's just spewing nonsense." In a moment of inexplicable, blind anger she grabbed a knife and slashed at him, immediately being dropped and kicked viciously.

"THAT'S NOT MY NAME!" But then she sat down, frowning as though she'd just completely puzzled herself. "I…don't remember my name. Jakara? Jakara… Jakara sounds right. What happened? Everything's blurry…" Jeff tried approaching again, and though Zalgo began moving to interfere, Slenderman teleported between the two and the teenagers stared at each other.

Unlike the last times, Edge allowed him to kneel close to her and he slowly reached up, fingers gripping the brink of her hood. She started moving to stop him, then reluctantly returned her hand to the ground and letting the scarred killer reveal her face. Her sapphire-blue eyes, curly dark brown hair…her confused and mistrustful gaze that fell to curiosity as his tears increased.

"Jackie…" Her mind simply blanked out. She went on autopilot, acting completely on instinct as her right hand lifted and gently began wiping the trails away. She pondered the leather-like texture and continued stroking, even after she'd accomplished her original goal.

Meanwhile, Slenderman had extended many tentacles and teleported everyone away, leaving the teenagers alone.

Edge continued to rub Jeff's cheeks as her thoughts lazily swam here and there. Honestly, if the boy had eyelids he'd've closed them by then, wondering if this is what it felt like to be a cat.

"Bleach and Vodka…" He jolted back to awareness as the brunette's distant voice hummed through the silence.

"That's right."

"You…gave me this scar." Her eyes flicked to her right hand and he instantly knew what she was referring to. When he'd frozen at the green-eyed child's bedside all those months ago.

"Sorry."

"You're Jeff?" He nodded. "And I'm Jakara?" Another nod. "And we were…friends?"

"Y-yes, yes." His hoarse whisper must have initiated some kind of instinct because she reached forward and pulled him into a hug, not caring about the tears falling to her skin as he buried his face in her neck.

"We loved each other?" He nodded slowly.

"What happened? Why am I like this? Why did we get separated?"

* * *

"I fell? You thought I died?" Jeff nodded slowly, looking away before starting to glare at the ground.

"I should've searched more. Could've found you before Zalgo. Didn't try hard enough. I'm s—"

"Don't apologize." He glanced at her, expression softening like a small child being chastised by his parents. "Don't have regrets about something you can't change. I don't know what happened. I barely understand anything right now. I'm just blindly following instincts and hoping for the best. But you…I don't want you sad. My chest hurts when you're upset, and I don't understand it. But it makes me think you did your best."

She looked up at the sky, slightly surprised to see that it was turning a light grey already. Birdsong was beginning to curl through the cool air, though most light was stopped by the dark pine branches.

"It's nearly dawn. We should turn in for the day." He nodded slowly, shuffling reluctantly to a tree before sitting down with his back against it. He pulled up his hood so the edge covered his eyes, then jolted when a warm body leaned against his own.

Lifting the hood, he observed with wide eyes as Jakara snuggled comfortably against him. "We used to do this, right?"

"Y-yeah."

The girl's head pressed against his chest, listening to his heartbeat lazily while faintly registering one of Jeff's arms going around her shoulders.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

Her mind drifted to times spent curled up with the burnt killer. In a bed, in an abandoned factory. In old, run-down buildings. In large chairs or on couches.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

Her eyes drifted shut, willing the memories to seep back as she descended into a dark void.

* * *

"Jackie! Jackie? Come on…" Warm fingers brushing down Jakara's cheek and an urgent voice dragged her from the black pit she'd been drowning in moments before. Her eyes snapped open and she looked up groggily into Jeff's concerned, pale eyes.

"Jeff?" The cold streaks on her face caught the girl's attention and she slowly reached up, swiping her fingertips against a cheek and pulling them away only to find moisture.

"You started crying in your sleep."

"Oh…but…" A stray thought suddenly popped inside her head and she smirked slightly. "Well now, we're never gonna get any sleep if I keep crying like this." He stared for a few seconds, processing those words that were strangely familiar until that memory of when she'd had a panic attack during those few days he'd been healing at her house returned to his mind.

"You remember?" She smiled before nuzzling her cheek against his.

"I'm still a bit foggy on some points, but I can remember a lot more." Jeff's arms tightened around her frame as he shoved his face once again into her neck with a shaky sigh of relief.

"Good. That's good…" A slight rumble pulled him back and he frowned slightly while Jakara looked away with a blush. "Slender brought some food. Let's go get some."

"N-no, no, it's fine. It's the middle of the day, everyone will be sleeping. Later." He smiled slightly before nodding and adjusting his grip so they pressed against each other more comfortably.

"Okay, there's a city nearby. We'll get something at dusk then go kitchen raiding after, 'kay?"

"M'kay…" She glanced at him slightly, letting a small smile touch her lips as she rested her head against his chest again. "Jeff?"

"Mm?"

"Love you."

* * *

_A.N. ~ the reference Jakara used was from Chapter Three, 'A Different Kind of Strange'.  
_


End file.
